What CM Uddhav Thackeray said in Covid-19 address to Maharashtra

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s address comes on a day when the state reported 47,827 new cases, the highest ever one-day jump in cases.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday took note of the seriousness of the Covid-19 situation in the state and warned the citizens of another lockdown if no other alternative is found in the next two days. He told people to not let the guard down yet and that if they fail to follow Covid-19 protocols and continue to rise, the state may soon face a shortage of health infrastructure.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray addressed the people of the state on the Covid-19 situation in the country. (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

"I am not announcing a lockdown but warning about it," the chief minister said, adding that the shutdown is a catch 22 situation as it has a major impact on the economy.

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Thackeray’s address comes on a day when the state reported 47,827 new cases, the highest ever one-day jump in cases. Maharashtra’s capital Mumbai also logged record 8,844 cases.

Here’s what Uddhav Thackeray told Maharashtra on Covid-19 situation

1. The chief minister said the possibility of a complete lockdown to tackle the surge in Covid-19 cases cannot be ruled out. He cited crowding at wedding ceremonies and public places and said that citizens have lowered the guards off late.
2. As Thackeray apprised Maharashtra with the current situation, he warned that the second wave of coronavirus is much more severe than the first one.
3. “Today we have increased the testing capacity to 182,000 a day with the help of 500 labs. It will be raised further to 250,000 in the next few days. Seveny percent of the tests will be RTPCR,” Thackeray said during the address.
4. He added that the number of beds has been increased to 3.75 lakh beds from 8,000-10,000 during pre-Covid-19 times.
5. Thackeray said that there might be a shortage of healthcare infrastructure in the next 15-20 days if cases continue to increase. “We have been ramping up the infrastructure but where would we get doctors and health care workers?” he asked the people.
6. "If the current growth in Covid cases continues, hospital beds will be full, there could also be a shortage of oxygen," Thackeray added.
7. Stricter curbs will be imposed from tomorrow or the day after, Thackeray said, adding that he will discuss with experts from various fields in the next two days to find out an alternative to lockdown. “We will have to impose restrictions on festival celebrations this year too,” he added.