Express News Service
MUMBAI: In his state address on Friday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray warned about the possibility of a complete lockdown if the current condition does not improve.
Thackeray said that along with livelihood concerns, prioritising the health of people is very important.
“Between 40,000 to 45000 positive cases are reported per day. If the situation worsens, then there will be huge pressure over the health infrastructure, there will be a shortage of doctors and health technicians,” Thackeray said adding that the state government is not holding back on accurate reportage of the situation.
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Thackeray said that he will again consult with health experts and concerned officials and take a call on the lockdown imposition dilemma soon.
“If people cooperate, there isn’t a need for lockdown but to break the chain of transmission, lockdown is the only option. The same thing has been done in European countries too,” he added.
Thackeray also said that there 500 testing labs in Maharashtra. “Presently, we are doing one lakh covid tests per day and we plan to increase it up to 2.5 lakh per day. We are focusing to improve health infrastructure, but people also have to behave responsibly,” he said.
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He further said that all the focus is now on vaccinations.
“Maharashtra vaccinated over three lakh people on April 1. If enough vaccines are made available by centre, then our state has the capacity to vaccinate more than six lakh individuals daily. So far, we have vaccinated 65 lakh people across the state. I am confident that the central government will extend all possible help. I have no complaint against them, but we need to speed up the process,” he said.
Adding, that there must be no political mudslinging over the decision of lockdown imposition.
Meanwhile, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar announced a seven-days-long 6 pm to 6 am curfew in Pune and decided to shut down hotels, malls, restaurants, bars, and religious places in the city for a week.
On Friday, a total of 47,827 Covid 19 positive cases, and 202 deaths are reported in the state.
