Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday indicated the imposition of a strict lockdown in the state given the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases, underlining the need to save the lives of people and clamping of strict restrictions to break the transmission chain of coronavirus.
Speaking at an all-party meeting held virtually to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the state, the chief minister also said that his government will address the issues of the livelihood of poor, labourers and daily-wagers.
“The number of patients is increasing so fast that if we do not decide on a lockdown today, a lockdown-like situation will automatically arise tomorrow. Today the situation is getting worse. We are also constantly considering COVID-19 task force experts in the state.
“On the one hand there is a public sentiment but on the other hand, there is an outbreak of coronavirus, in which case if you want to win this battle you have to go through some hardships,” a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) quoted him as saying.
Maharashtra’s overall COVID-19 case tally stood at 33,43,951 as on Saturday while the overall death toll is 57,638. The state is now left with 5,36,682 active cases.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, ministers Ashok Chavan, Balasaheb Thorat, Dilip Walse Patil, Eknath Shinde, Jayant Patil, Rajesh Tope, Amit Deshmukh, along with state Congress president Nana Patole, Leader of Opposition in Assembly Devendra Fadnavis, Pravin Darekar, state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil and others. Maharashtra chief secretary Sitaram Kunte briefed the meeting about the prevailing situationin the state and the challenges faced by the state government to stem the spread of cases.
“If the coronavirus cycle is to be stopped, strict restrictions will have to be imposed. We have to prioritise saving lives first. If this is a health emergency, the priority should be the health and well-being of the citizens,” he said.
