The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Thursday announced that all shops located in several localities of Mumbai will remain shut on alternate days indefinitely in order to regulate crowds on roads amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, all grocery and medical stores have been exempted from the order.

The closure of shops on alternate days will be done in areas of Dadar, Mahim, Dharavi, Bandra, Khar and Santa Cruz, the Brihanmumbai Municipal corporation said in a statement on Thursday. In a separate order, it also extended the restrictions to areas of Mulund East and Mulund West.

Among the measures announced, the assistant municipal commissioner, under the Epidemic Disease Act, said that all establishments located on the specified roads will remain shut according to the time table provided by them in order to avoid crowding and to encourage social distancing.

The municipal corporation also announced that people who fail to comply with the orders will be punished under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.

Media reports said that a similar order has also been implemented in the localities of Prabhadevi, Worli and Lower Parel. All shops and establishments with the exception of medical stores, grocery shops, fuel stations and banks will be covered by this order, The Hindustan Times reported.

Maharashtra’s health ministry has so far confirmed 49 coronavirus cases in the state – the highest in any single state in India.

The Maharashtra government on Monday started marking all those who have been asked to self-isolate themselves for 14 days over COVID-19 with a stamp in indelible ink, which says “home quarantine”. Those who have history of foreign travel, or contact with those with a history of foreign travel but have no symptoms of the virus have been advised home quarantine.

The government ordered private offices to operate at below 50% of the total attendance and allow the rest to work from home. The state also postponed all university and school examinations, except Class 10 and Class 12, until further notice. All scheduled elections have also been deferred for the next three months.

The number of patients infected with COVID-19 in India rose to 173 on Thursday. Fourteen people have recovered and four have died of the disease.