Mumbai: Following an elaborate meeting between the prime minister Narendra Modi and chief ministers of all states, Maharashtra announced lockdown extension till April 30th amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent days.
According to reports, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is also likely to extend it even further as Maharashtra remains one of the worst affected with several virus hotspots, including the largest slum region - Dharavi.
Thackeray said details of the protocols to be followed during the extended lockdown would be announced later.
Explaining the broad contours of the plan, the CM said while restrictions would be eased in certain areas in the state during the extended period, they will become stricter in others.
Read: Lockdown to be extended till April 30th: Sources
Thackeray said the decision regarding pending examinations, restarting of industrial units and the migrant workers stranded in the state will be announced before April 14.
He further said that the complete lifting of the lockdown will depend upon how soon the chain of the coronavirus transmission is broken in the most-affected state.
Maharashtra's tally of COVID-19 cases shot up to 1666 earlier in the day with 92 fresh cases being reported, according to state Health department. The state has so far reported 110 deaths due to the infection while as many as 188 patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovery, officials have said.
"Maharashtra has always shown the path to the country. In the present crisis too, the state will lead in defeating the coronavirus, which has attacked all and not spared even the PM of the UK," the chief minister said.
Thackeray also asked people not to panic and called for a "continuous the determined" fight against the virus. The chief minister said the state had so far tested
more than 33,000 samples, out of which nearly 19,000 were from Mumbai, which he said is the "Gateway to India".
Talking about the cases in Mumbai, which has been hit the hardest by the outbreak, Thackeray said, "60 to 70 per cent of the nearly 1000 coronavirus positive persons in Mumbai have displayed mild or very mild symptoms". "Those who had unfortunately died had other ailments as well, and most of them had come to hospitals during the last stage (of their illness)," he said.
Appealing to people to work from home wherever possible, the CM acknowledged that there is uncertainty and anxiety all around due to the lockdown.
Meanwhile, the CM admitted that some persons who had returned from foreign countries not listed by the Central government for coronavirus check in initial days, were not tested at the international airport.
Meanwhile, a team of 150 doctors, from Maharashtra Medical Association, is helping Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) workers in screening all 7.5 lakh residents of Dharavi.
