Theatres, drama theatres will be shut, while film and television shootings will continue if there is no crowding. Parks and playgrounds will also be closed, he said.
"Some areas of Maharashtra will witness strict lockdown measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus infection. The government is going to hold a special meeting with officials before coming out with the lockdown measures," Thackeray said.
With states in north India imposing stricter measures to curb intra-state movement after April 20, makers of summer products such as air conditioners, refrigerators, colas, and ice creams are estimating a 25-60 per cent drop in yearly sales.
The nation is on Day 2 of the 21-day lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus. People buying essential supplies maintaining social distancing is now become a feature across the country.
The day before, the state government banned assembly of more than five persons in public places between 9 pm to 6 am and restricted the number of people allowed at public functions in view of a spurt in coronavirus cases.
Sure we understand that isolating affected communities is part of the pandemic protocol, but we don't wish our life and freedom to be tossed aside at the slightest excuse, states Shyam G Menon.
While all her teammates left for home after the junior camp ended on March 19, Suman decided to stay back at the SAI centre in Bengaluru with the senior sides and was stuck there for more than two and half months because of the nationwide lockdown.
"GOI's inaction is killing many innocent people," Rahul said.
Though authorities and NGOs have made arrangements for their food, most of them want to go back to their native places to escape the hardship brought by the sweeping curbs.
The coronavirus-enforced lockdown has changed the perception that kitchen and household chores are a woman's domain, as men are also pitching in to share the domestic workload and in the process learning and upgrading their culinary skills.
The ministry of home affairs, however, said there was a need to maintain a strict lockdown till May 3 so that the gains are not squandered away.
The home ministry asked the state governments and UT administrations to inform it about different aspects of the lockdown and whether there are necessities to give exemptions to some more categories of people and services from the restrictions, a home ministry official said.
The states were advised to plan for the requisite number of isolation, oxygen supported and ICU beds based on the prevalent and expected case growth rate. the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is also monitoring the COVID-19 hospital infrastructure, he said.
Strict lockdown-like restrictions are already in place in the southern stateand the Pinarayi Vijayan government decided to clamp the complete shutdown in the wake of severe spike in the positive cases.
With the coronavirus cases rising once again in the state, there were reports that the Madhya Pradesh government was considering announcing a fresh lockdown.
'Every report I filed for Rediff.com on the professor's incarceration, would leave me wondering for days, at the depth of the State's malevolence towards this disabled professor, and his equally deep capacity to tolerate it,' recalls Jyoti Punwani.' 'No country in the world would do what our country was doing to someone so helpless.'
The Delhi government had been forced to impose lockdown amid a steep rise in COVID-19 cases on April 20. Although, the cases have come down and positivity rate has reduced from the high of 35 per cent on April 26 to around 23 per cent now, but strictness is needed.
'But again, do we have a choice? Absolutely not. The entire world does not have a choice. Everyone has to deal with patience. It is a global issue so the awareness is global, too.'
There is no immediate need for imposing lockdown or additional restrictions in Mumbai as the bed occupancy rate, oxygen requirement and number of Covid-19 deaths are low, municipal commissioner Iqbal Chahal said on Friday.
The 21-day lockdown is aimed at checking the spread of the coronavirus.
The state had witnessed a record single-day spike of 7,014 cases on Sunday.
At Srinagar's famed Lal Chowk, Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf meets a computer engineer who drives an auto for a living and discovers that Kashmiris are more interested in finding jobs than discussing the assembly election.
Addressing a press conference via video conference, Gandhi also said the entire country has to fight the crisis "unitedly" and there is need to grant adequate resources to the states to help them deal with it in a "nuanced" manner.
The chief minister, however, added, "It's a matter of concern since the COVID-19 cases are rising exponentially. But there is no need to panic. The government is monitoring the situation and taking all necessary steps."
Mayur Malsane reveals how he lost weight in the lockdown with diet and exercise.
Noting that the situation on the ground was "very difficult", the Congress leader said it was high time the prime minister announced a relief package for the poor and a financial stimulus for the economy.
The guidelines listed several services including government and private offices that will be out of bounds during the period, while exempting establishments such as hospitals, ration shops, dairies, banks, insurance offices, and print and electronic media. Delivery of all essential goods including food, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment through e-commerce has also been exempted from the purview of the lockdown.
Cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir seems to be making most of the lockdown across the country. The lockdown across India was extended till May 3 to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and East Delhi MP Gambhir is getting to spending time with his kids at home, even though they are not letting him catch up with his sleep.
Women rights activists said they have also received numerous complaints of domestic violence from women since the enforcement of the lockdown.
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Tuesday said if the daily Covid-19 cases in the city cross the 20,000-mark, a lockdown will be imposed in the city as per the Union government's rules.
Mukund Dange, 43, general manager-purchase in Chennai Tamil Nadu tells us how he is making the most of the lockdown.
Kapil Dev's new look was revealed on Twitter by his team-mate Chetan Sharma, where he was seen sporting sunglasses and a black blazer.
As per the law, obstruction or refusal to comply with directions results in loss of lives or imminent danger thereof, shall on conviction be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years.
Citadel: Honey Bunny will stream from November 7 on Amazon Prime Video.
Uddhav Thackeray also said that the decision on lifting the curbs completely after April 30 will be taken depending upon the prevailing situation.
IT and IT-enabled services will be allowed to operate with essential minimum staff only while the rest would work from home.
The move to resume work in ministries comes nearly a month after the government issued work from home protocols in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Koushik Debnath from Agartala tells us how he spent the last few days in the lockdown.
The CPCB said reduction in PM10 and PM2.5 levels primarily indicate depletion in combustion and industrial sources of pollution which are common to both fractions of particulate matter.
Lockdown relaxations by Kerala amounts to dilution of its lockdown guidelines, says the Union home ministry.
