After Modi's meeting, Maharashtra and WB extend lockdown till April-end
The states of Maharashtra and West Bengal on Saturday decided to extend the ongoing lockdown till April 30. The announcement comes mere hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of CMs of all states and Union Territories. At the meeting, Modi decided to extend the lockdown across India, however, an official announcement is awaited. Here are more details.
Maharashtra CM announced lockdown extension; warned against violations
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced Saturday evening that the state will remain locked down till April 30. Thackeray said that although most states agreed to extend the lockdown during the video conference with Modi, he chose to announce the extension ahead of the Centre to allay rumors. Thackeray warned that if people do not maintain social distancing, the lockdown could be further extended.
Lockdown restrictions will vary across regions, says Thackeray
Thackeray also stated that the government will relax restrictions in some regions and tighten them in others, which are badly-hit. Maharashtra is notably the worst-affected Indian state in the coronavirus outbreak, with over 1,500 cases and 110 deaths.
West Bengal CM said lockdown extended after Modi's decision
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also announced that the lockdown will be extended in the state till April 30. She said the decision was taken in congruence with PM Modi's decision to extend the lockdown. Earlier on Saturday, West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiv Sinha announced that the government had imposed a 14-day "total lockdown" across 10 COVID-19 hotspots in the state.
Earlier, Odisha and Punjab had extended lockdown
Odisha on Thursday became the first state to extend the lockdown till April 30. On Friday, Punjab had announced the extension of lockdown till May 1. Earlier on Saturday, Modi reportedly decided to extend the nationwide lockdown for two weeks, upon the request of all states. Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa said the government will issue guidelines for the same in the next 1-2 days.
Delhi CM also supported PM's decision
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, "The PM has taken the correct decision to extend the lockdown. Today, India's position is better than many developed countries because we started the lockdown early. If it is stopped now, all gains would be lost."
Earlier, lockdown was supposed to be relaxed on April 14
On March 24, PM Modi had called for a 21-day nationwide lockdown to limit the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The lockdown came into effect on March 25 and was scheduled to last until April 14. Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary said on Saturday that without the lockdown, India would have reported 8.2 lakh COVID-19 cases by April 15.
India's Health Ministry reports 7,529 COVID-19 cases, 242 deaths
According to the latest update from the Union Health Ministry, by 5 pm on Saturday, India had reported a total of 7,529 cases of COVID-19. These included 242 deaths and 6,634 active cases along with 652 patients who were cured/discharged and one patient who migrated out of India. However, till Friday alone, a NewsBytes tally reported over 7,500 COVID-19 cases and 254 deaths.
