Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday announced strict restrictions on public movement that will start from April 14 for a fortnight. The imposed restrictions will affect travel through local trains, as well as through other local transport services.

Local trains, known as the lifeline of Mumbai, will also be affected. According to the latest guidelines named as ‘Break the chain’ issued by Maharashtra government, commuting via local trains and public transport will only be restricted to essential workers.

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It means that those who will commute via local trains must carry a valid ID card proving them as essential workers. Those who are not under the ambit of essential services, will not be allowed to board the trains. CM Thackeray addressed in his speech, “Unnecessary travel should be stopped. Non-emergency travel should be stopped.”

The government has only allowed movement for certain people under essential services, including hospitals, pharmacies, companies dealing with manufacturing of medicines and vaccines, veterinary services, groceries, vegetable shops, cold storage.

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The state recorded 60,212 fresh COVID-19 cases and 218 deaths on Tuesday as the ‘lockdown-like’ restrictions were announced. In the past few weeks, India has seen a massive surge in COVID-19 with over 1.5 lakh cases recorded daily for the past several days.