As Maharashtra continues to record a spike in Coronavirus cases over the past few days, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has warned that the state government will reimpose a lockdown if people keep violating pandemic guidelines.
CM Thackeray said that if people did not follow social distancing and wear mask, another lockdown may follow.
“People have become carefree. It is for the people to decide if they want a lockdown or want to continue living with the small restrictions like now,” said Thackeray, while directing local administrations to crack down on citizens and establishments that are found violating Covid-19 norms and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Meanwhile, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said there was no reason to panic but safety norms must be followed.
“We are not considering any lockdown at the moment, but people have to cooperate and follow Covid-appropriate behaviour as that is the only way forward,” Tope said.
Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar issued a lockdown warning across the city.
“The number of patients is increasing in the city. While local trains have resumed operations for all and several other activities have begun, people should continue to wear masks, maintain social distancing and use sanitizers,” she said. “But it has been observed that people are not following the norms. Schools were to open in the coming days, but we are reconsidering it now. We can head towards a lockdown and it is in the hands of citizens itself to avoid it.”
This comes after Maharashtra reported 3,663 fresh coronavirus cases and 2,700 recoveries on Tuesday. The recovery rate of the state is 95.66%. It also recorded 39 new fatalities.
The caseload in the state reached 20,71,306 while the death toll rose to 51,591, said a health official.
Since last Wednesday, Maharashtra has been reporting more than 3,000 cases on daily basis. On Sunday, it recorded 4,092 cases, the highest single-day spike in more than a month,
Surjitt sahani
