Maha govt allows theatres to open with 50 per cent capacity from Nov 5

Phto used for representational purpose. Pic/istock

Cinema halls and multiplexes will be allowed to open outside containment zones with 50 per cent seating capacity in Maharashtra from November 5. The state government issued an order in this regard on Wednesday.

However, no eatables will be allowed inside the theatres, cinema halls and multiplexes, the notification said.

Drama theatres will also be allowed to open with half capacity and adhering to all COVID-19 safety protocols.

The order also states that swimming pools used for training state, national and international level athletes will also be allowed to open from November 5. Yoga institutes and stadiums for indoor games will also reopen from November 5, states the order.

Maharashtra's COVID-19 deaths remained above the 100-mark, but infections dropped and the recovery rate improved, with a whopping 7.38 lakh freed from home quarantine, health officials said on Tuesday.

The state witnessed 120 deaths on Tuesday, against 104 fatalities reported on Monday, taking the state's death toll to 44,248.

The state recorded 4,909 fresh cases - much lower that the peak single-day tally of 24,886 reported on September 11 - as the state's tally jumped to 16,92,693 cases till date.

The state's recovery rate increased from 90.31 per cent to 90.46 per cent, while the current mortality rate stood at 2.61 per cent.

Simultaneously, another lot of 6,973 fully recovered patients returned home - higher than the fresh infections for the day - taking the total number of recoveries to 15,31,277 till date, much higher than the 116,543 active cases currently present in the state.

As per Tuesday's figures, there was one death roughly every 12 minutes and 205 new cases added every hour to the state's tally. Twelve districts, including Aurangabad, notched zero fatalities, after including the reconciliation of deaths in several districts, including Mumbai.

Of the 120 deaths declared on Tuesday, Pune led the chart with 19 fatalities, followed by 15 in Mumbai, 12 each in Thane, Sangli and Latur, 6 each in Solapur, Satara, Jalna and Bhandara, 4 each in Nashik and Nagpur, 3 in Osmanabad, 2 each in Ahmednagar, Hingoli and Nanded, and 1 each in Raigad, Sindhudurg, Parbhani, Beed, Buldhana, Washim, Wardha, Gondia and Chandrapur.

Remaining in the sub-50 range for the third day this month, Mumbai recorded a low of 15 fatalities, taking the city's death toll to 10,323, while the number of corona cases shot up by 746 to 259,857.

Of the total 8 circles, Mumbai circle's (MMR, comprising Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad) fatalities shot up by 28, but owing to a reconciliation of the deaths, the toll dropped to 17,832, and with another spike of 1,492 new infectees, the total cases zoomed to 587,855.

With another 31 fatalities, the Pune circle's (comprising Pune, Solapur and Satara districts) death toll zoomed to 9,675 and the daily infections increased by 951 to 428,383.

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