Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is staying put at home and he has one person to thank.
The Maharashtra government had announced a complete lockdown in the state on Monday, a day before the 21-day clamped nationwide by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
As many came out of their house on Tuesday morning, a day ahead of Gudi Padwa, police used force to send them back.
The Shiv Sena leader issued a video appeal a day after people came out on the streets to buy food and other things as the state reported the number of Covid-19 jumped to 116.
“I am at home listening to Mrs CM and you listen to your home minister. There is no need to panic as essential services are available,” Uddhav Thackeray said in his appeal in Marathi.
The state administration has swung into action and urged people to take the clampdown more seriously by not stepping out of their homes. The police were directed to restrain from taking unnecessary action.
“As a result of these efforts, we are getting a good response to the ‘curfew’ announced by the state and central government. Very few people have stepped out of their homes despite it being the holy day of Gudi Padwa. There are fewer complaints of police using force or resorting to lathi-charge,” an official from the state control room at Mantralaya said.
{{/usCountry}}“As a result of these efforts, we are getting a good response to the ‘curfew’ announced by the state and central government. Very few people have stepped out of their homes despite it being the holy day of Gudi Padwa. There are fewer complaints of police using force or resorting to lathi-charge,” an official from the state control room at Mantralaya said.
{{/usCountry}}Many villages have blocked their borders by prohibiting those coming from virus -affected cities to avoid the spread.