MUMBAI (AP) — The teeming metropolis of Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra, the Indian state worst hit by the pandemic, face stricter restrictions for 15 days in an effort to stem the surge of coronavirus infections. Top state officials stressed that the closure of most industries, businesses, public places and limits on the movement of people doesn’t constitute a lockdown. Last year, a sudden nationwide lockdown left millions jobless overnight and since then, state leaders have repeatedly stressed that another lockdown wasn’t on the cards. The distinction did little to allay fears of thousands of migrant workers waiting at a Mumbai railway station for a ride home. India has detected over 180,000 new infections in the past 24 hours, about a third in Maharashtra state.
