The Maharashtra government has extended till January 31, 2021 the lockdown restrictions in the state on account of coronavirus. A circular to this effect was issued on December 29.
"The state is threatened with the spread of COVID-19 virus. Therefore, to take certain emergency measures to prevent and contain the spread of the virus, the lockdown in the state has been extended till January 31," the circular said.
The activities already allowed and permitted from time to time shall be continue, it added.
There has been several cases of the new strain including people who had recently returned from the UK to India. A total of 20 persons in India have been found with the mutant variant of SARS- CoV-2 virus reported from the United Kingdom, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
The new strain reportedly spreads at a much faster pace and has sent alarm bells ringing across the world.
Like many countries, India has suspended flights from Britain, where cases have soared because of the variant. People arriving from Britain before the ban came into force are being tested.