Putting speculations to rest, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday decided against imposing any lockdown in the state amid rising cases of the novel coronavirus. The decision was taken at a key cabinet meeting today. The cabinet also ruled out clamping of a night curfew in the state.
We are not planning any lockdown or night curfew in the state, Vijay Wadettiwar, Maharashtra’s Relief and Rehabilitation said. The coronavirus cases increased due to festive season and we had reduced the testing so the numbers came down but now we have increased the testing so the numbers are spiking. But things are under control, he said, adding that they weren’t looking to impose lockdown.
Earlier on Sunday, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had also stated that he did not want to impose another lockdown in the state while also warning that the second possible wave of coronavirus may be a “tsunami”.
“We don’t have the vaccine yet, nor is there any treatment. So we have to stick to the preventive measures till then. Don’t be under any mistaken impression that because everything is being opened up, the coronavirus has been conquered. We don’t want another lockdown. I don’t want to end five years with lockdown after Lockdowns. Though all festivals were celebrated with restraint, the danger has not yet subsided,” Thackeray had said.
On Monday, Maharashtra saw 4,153 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 17,84,361. More than 3,700 patients have recovered from the infection. With 30 new deaths reported during the day, the state’s fatality count increased to 46,653. A total of 3,729 patients were discharged from hospitals, which took the number of recovered persons to 16,54,793. Mumbai city had reported the highest single-day cases in the state with a spike of 800, while Nagpur Municipal Corporation (PMC) areas saw a rise of 256 infections.
