Maharashtra: Gatherings capped at 50 persons as coronavirus cases surge

Maharashtra Government has capped the attendance at gatherings in open or closed spaces at 50, following a surge in coronavirus cases in the state.

Not more than 100 persons in enclosed spaces and 250 persons in open spaces were allowed to attend a marriage function or a social, cultural, political and religious gathering earlier.

The state government issued fresh guidelines on Thursday night, capping the number of attendees at these events to 50 persons.

The new order also stipulates that only 20 persons can attend last rites.

Maharashtra recorded 5,368 coronavirus cases on Thursday, a spike of 1468 cases from a day before. This propelled the state's COVID-19 tally to 66,70,754.

At present, there are 18,217 active cases in the state. With 1193 COVID-19 patients discharged in the day, the number of those recovered rose to 65,07,330. Maharashtra on Thursday reported 198 new cases of the Omicron variant, including 190 in Mumbai alone, taking the tally of cases of this latest coronavirus variant in the state up to 450.