Lockdown in Maharashtra? Cabinet meet today, stricter curbs likely

Maharashtra has been driving the second wave of infections in India with record cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

A meeting of the cabinet in Maharashtra will be held later on Sunday amid calls for stricter restrictions across the state, which has seen a massive jump in daily cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The meeting will come days after chief minister Uddhav Thackeray warned of a lockdown and said if Covid-19 cases continue to rise, the state’s health infrastructure would be affected severely. According to news agency ANI, the Maharashtra cabinet meeting is scheduled to be held at 3pm virtually.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has warned stricter restrictons in the past as the cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) have risen recently. (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

There were 49,447 Covid-19 cases and 277 fatalities on Saturday in Maharashtra, according to the state health department, which have taken India’s worst-hit state’s tally to 2,953,523 and the death toll to 55,656. The western state, which has clamped stringent restrictions to battle the surge, recorded more than 40,000 cases for the third consecutive day in a row on Saturday. Mumbai reported 9,090 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours and 27 deaths in the last 24 hours.

On Friday, Thackeray warned that hospital beds will start falling short in the next 15 days if the current spike in the cases of the coronavirus disease doesn’t stop in the state, which has been driving the second wave of infections in India with record cases. “I am not announcing a lockdown, but definitely warning about it. I am sure we can avoid a lockdown if we decided firmly about it. We will observe for the next couple of days if people are observing protocol strictly. But in case no such solution found, I cannot allow to go the situation out of hand,” he said after a review meeting.

The Shiv Sena leader also said stricter curbs will be announced in the next couple of days after he speaks to political leaders and experts from various sectors. “We will issue guidelines for stricter curbs in the next couple of days. Political parties, industrialists have been opposing the lockdown and warning the government against it,” he said. “We are in a Catch-22 situation. If a lockdown is imposed, we face an economic crisis. At the same time, people’s lives are more important for us. Many countries, including France, United Kingdom, Belgium, Brazil, have imposed the strict lockdown for many weeks in their fight against the second wave,” the chief minister added.

Thackeray said people have become complacent and must wear face masks, maintain physical distance, wash hands and avoid crowding. The chief minister met various sections of society on Saturday, asking them for their support in the decisions to be taken by the state government and said they would help everyone. Experts have called for tough decisions, which will not hamper the economy, to control the rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in the city and the state.