Mumbai, July 8: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday hinted at reopening restaurants & gymnasiums across the state in the coming days. According to a tweet by ANI, Tope said that hotels have reopened across the state and likewise the state government may consider reopening the gyms and restaurants soon only if social distancing norms are strictly followed. "Hotels have reopened in Maharashtra, likewise, we'll consider reopening of restaurants & gymnasiums in coming days. We're positive about it. If social distancing norms are strictly followed, then there is no problem in reopening these two", Tope said. Gyms, Salons to Re-Open in Maharashtra Within a Week, Guidelines to be Issued Soon; No Decision on Allowing Religious Gatherings in The State.

On Wednesday, hotels, lodges, resorts and other places of accommodation in the state were thrown open for public after the state government's nod on Monday. The Uddhav Thackeray-led government in the state allowed hotels and other entities providing accommodation services outside containment zones to resume operations at 33 percent of their capacity from July 8. The decision was taken after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held an  interaction with various associations of hotels and lodges on reopening after finalising Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).  No Community Spread in Maharashtra, Says Health Minister Rajesh Tope.

Here's the tweet:

Maharashtra is currently under a lockdown till July 31. In Maharashtra, the COVID-19 tally mounted to 2,23,724 on Wednesday. The state reported 6,603 new COVID-19 cases and 198 deaths today. The total count includes 1,23,192 recoveries and 9,448 deaths while the number of active cases stands at 91,065, the State Health Department said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 08, 2020 08:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).