While the Bombay High Court on Monday asked the Maharashtra state secretary to submit on Tuesday if it will withdraw its decision to permit only fully vaccinated people on suburban trains, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the state is expected to be free of COVID restrictions, not mask-free, by next month. Though the minister’s remark was not related to the HC case, it indicated the prevailing view on curbs in the government. 

Health minister Rajesh Tope on Monday said, “The state will not be mask-free, but restriction-free. The Centre has asked states to relax restrictions. Even the state COVID Task Force feels the same way. We have presented our proposal at the Cabinet meeting and expect the chief minister to decide soon. I personally think that we will be restriction-free in March.”