Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday, 8 August, said that the Mumbai local trains will resume for fully-vaccinated individuals from 15 August.
As per guidelines issued by the Chief Minister's office, a 14-day gap after taking the second dose is mandatory for travelling in the local trains. Monthly passes for passengers will be available on smartphones, in ward offices or the sub-urban railway stations.
A QR code on passes will be used to verify their authenticity.
CM Thackeray's Address to the State
Addressing the state on Sunday, CM Thackeray said that he will review the situation with the state's COVID-19 Task Force on Monday, 9 August, and announce further relaxations in the coming week. However, he directed the administration and urged the citizens to follow the COVID-19 guidelines in view of the upcoming festivals.
The chief minister also shared the preparations made by the state in order to combat COVID-19. There are 600 testing labs, 4.5 lakh isolation beds, 34,507 ICU beds, 1.1lakh oxygen beds, and 13,500 ventilators in Maharashtra, he indicated. "Oxygen production capacity is at 1,300-1,350 MT daily; we are working with manufacturers to increase it," he stated.
Speaking about the vaccination status of the state, the chief minister indicated, "So far, 1.18 crore citizens have been fully vaccinated. Our current capacity of vaccinating 8L people in one day can be increased as we get more supplies."
Thackeray, during his address, also spoke about the recent landslides in Maharashtra, and the measures being taken to deal with such disasters in the future.
"The number of landslides and floods has increased. We will have to evolve a permanent solution. As I had promised that no one would be left alone in this time of crisis. The state Cabinet has allocated Rs 11,500 crore for immediate relief and long-term solutions," he said.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)