Mumbai metro trains to resume services today

The Maharashtra government yesterday announced that metro trains in Mumbai and Nagpur will resume operations from today.
The government also said stamping of air and train passengers arriving in the state will be discontinued.
Under the latest Unlock Rules, all domestic passengers landing at Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad airports would undergo the mandatory Covid-19 tests, but they will no longer be stamped on the hand with the indelible ink.
Train passengers would not be subjected to Covid tests or stamping on the hands though they will be required to maintain all prescribed protocols.
Metro trains in Mumbai and Nagpur would be allowed to resume operations in a graded manner, the government said in a statement.
However, places of worship and educational institutions will remain closed, though public libraries have been cleared for opening again.
The government has also allowed B2B exhibitions only outside the containment zones and all types of local weekly markets across the state.
In order to reduce congestion, all shops and markets will be permitted two hours extra and can operate from 9am-9pm from today.
In New Delhi, meanwhile, a day ahead of the re-opening of cinemas, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal yesterday met their owners and operators and asked them to follow the necessary rules and guidelines strictly.
“I hope that the cinema halls will strictly adhere to the guidelines and SOPs (standard operating procedures) of the central as well as the state governments. It is extremely necessary to follow the social distancing and sanitisation protocols in the cinema halls,” he said.
As per the SOPs, the moviegoers will be seated on alternate seats and there will be a cross mark on the seat that cannot be folded.
The technical system of the AC has also been changed for viewers’ convenience and entry and exit gates, seats, and lobbies will have to be sanitised from time to time.
Tickets will only be available online, and there will be a complete ban on eating and drinking inside the cinemas.
During his interaction with the representatives of cinema hall associations in Delhi, Kejriwal said that the people of Delhi, including the associations, will have to work together to revive the city’s economy.
“The last seven months have been very tough for us. The whole country and the whole world is suffering from the corona pandemic. Delhi has fought a very tough and a strong battle against corona. The most important thing is getting Delhi’s economy back on track, after it has been dismantled due to the lockdown,” he added.
The meeting, attended by representatives of movie theatre companies including PVR, M2K, Movie Time, Cinemapolis, Inox, Unity and Pacific, etc, assured the chief minister of full adherence to all the directions.
They also thanked Kejriwal for allowing the cinema halls to open from today.
Meanwhile, India’s tally of coronavirus infections rose by 63,509 in the last 24 hours to stand at 7.24mn yesterday, Health Ministry data showed.
Deaths from Covid-19 infections rose by 730 to 110,586, the ministry said.
India crossed the 7mn mark on Sunday, adding a million cases in just 13 days. It has the world’s second-highest tally after the United States, where the figure is nearing 8mn.