Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, on Sunday, imposed Section 144 in the state until March 31 and urged the citizens to remain indoors to prevent the deadly coronavirus from spreading. However, on Monday, despite repeated requests from the authorities, citizens left their houses and were seen roaming freely on the streets.
According to reports, a huge traffic jam was seen at the Thane-Mulund toll Naka, which is a connecting point between Thane and Mumbai. People shared pictures and videos of the toll-plaza on social media.
Taking cognisance of this, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray warned the citizens not to break the law and take this fight against coronavirus, which has claimed the lives of 14,704 people and infected 340,032 globally, seriously.
Taking to Twitter, Thackeray said in Marathi, "Take the fight against coronavirus seriously. Don't play with yourself and others' health. Section 144 is imposed so that only essential services continue. Dont bring your vehicles on the road and break the law."
Meanwhile, a 68-year-old man from Philippines, who tested positive for coronavirus infection and later recovered, passed away at a private hospital in Mumbai. This was the third death in the city and eighth in the country. Also, 89 positive cases have been registered so far in the state, after 14 new cases in Mumbai and 1 in Pune were found.
Maharashtra Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope issued orders to disburse the crowds at various checkpoints of Mumbai including Mukund and others. He added, "Police can take action under section 144."
"I want to make it very clear that we have not entered the community spread phase; There are total 89 positive Coronavirus cases in the state including 14 new cases in Mumbai and 1 in Pune," he added.
