Uddhav Thackeray says lockdown 'imminent' if coronavirus cases keep rising
What's the story
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said a lockdown would have to be re-imposed in the state if the daily coronavirus tally maintains the same trend for the next 8-15 days.
Dubbing the situation in Maharashtra worrying, the Shiv Sena leader urged citizens to respect coronavirus-linked precautions.
He blamed complacent behavior for the uptick in COVID-19 cases.
Here are more details.
Warning
'Those who don't want a lockdown will wear a mask'
Thackeray said in the upcoming days it would become clear if Maharashtra is facing a second wave of COVID-19.
"Do we need a lockdown? If you behave responsibly, we will know in the next eight days. Those who don't want a lockdown will wear a mask. Those who want a lockdown, will not wear one. So wear a mask and say 'No' to the lockdown," he asserted.
What he said
Recent coronavirus numbers comparable to peak's tally, highlighted Thackeray
Drawing attention toward the coronavirus figures, Thackeray said Maharashtra was reporting 2,000-2,500 daily cases until recently.
"Now, it is reporting nearly 7,000...active cases have jumped from 40,000 to 53,000...last year, the numbers that we had been getting during the COVID-19 peak, are almost equal to what we are getting now, (sic)" the CM said in a virtual address.
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'We have become complacent'
"We have become complacent. This had happened in the West too. Those countries had to re-impose lockdowns. A face mask is our only weapon against the coronavirus. I would like to reiterate that wearing a mask is mandatory," he went on.
Decision
Respect sacrifices of 'corona warriors': Thackeray
The CM also declared that religious, social, and political gatherings would be prohibited in Maharashtra from Monday.
"All of us need to expand and spread our political base including myself, my allies, and the opposition parties. But let us not spread coronavirus," he said.
He asked citizens to neither let the sacrifices of corona warriors go in vain nor become "COVID-19 doot (carrier)."
Tally
Maharashtra added nearly 7,000 fresh cases to its tally yesterday
On Sunday, Maharashtra added 6,971 new coronavirus cases, the highest since October last year. 921 cases were reported from the state capital Mumbai.
The CM has permitted local administrations to take a call on restrictions.
"In Amravati, Akola, and many places, we have asked the officers to give a day and then announce restrictions and lockdown, wherever such steps are needed," he underlined.
Letter
Five states received letter from Centre over COVID-19 situation
Meanwhile, the federal government shot off a letter to five states — Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh — expressing concern over the coronavirus situation.
The states were asked to increase RT-PCR tests; enforce strict surveillance in areas emerging as coronavirus hotspots, and also monitor coronavirus strains by ample testing and genome sequencing.
As per IE, the Centre is particularly concerned about Punjab.
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Deaths in Punjab worrying, said an official
"Punjab is No. 3 in deaths, despite around 300 cases daily. Kerala is reporting 6,000 cases, so we can understand the double-digit deaths, and the same goes for Maharashtra, which is reporting 4,000 cases," an official told the daily.