Amid a surge in coronavirus cases in the state, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said that he did not want to impose another lockdown, however indicating that he not might not be left with an option in the future, ANI reported.
“I do not want to impose lockdown in the state but ‘majboori’ (helplessness) is also something,” Thackeray said during a press conference in Mumbai, according to ANI. Last month, Thackeray had warned people of Maharashtra to follow Covid-19 related guidelines or be prepared to face another round of lockdown.
Meanwhile on Monday, Maharashtra reported a drop in coronavirus cases as 6,397 people tested positive for the virus, government data showed. With this, the state managed to break a five-day streak during which it reported over 8,000 cases on each day. The toll in the state went up to 52,184, with 30 more deaths recorded in the last 24 hours. Active cases in Maharashtra stood at 77,618.
In Mumbai, 855 people tested positive, while four deaths were reported, according to the civic body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
Earlier on Monday, the Centre said that Maharashtra alone accounted for 46.39% of India’s total active coronavirus cases.
Amid the sudden increase in cases, which a few experts have linked to the reopening of schools and suburban train services in Mumbai, restrictions were put in place in multiple districts. A curfew was imposed in Yavatmal till Monday evening, while night curfews have been imposed in Solapur, Aurangabad and Nashik. In Nagpur, schools, colleges and coaching classes will remain shut till March 7, while major markets will remain shut on weekends till then. Educational institutions have also been shut till March 31 in Jalna.
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