The Maharashtra government is weighing in on the possibility of a complete lockdown as the Covid-19 situation in the state continues to be grim. On Saturday, Mumbai alone reported 9,327 coronavirus cases. While stricter restrictions and complete weekend lockdowns were announced after a cabinet meeting last week, the state is now mulling a complete lockdown. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday chaired an all-party meeting to discuss the pandemic situation in the state where a proposal of a complete lockdown for 15 days was also floated. However, the meeting ended inconclusive.
“Though no formal decision on a lockdown has arrived at the all-party meeting, the chief minister appears to be in
favour of a strict lockdown,” state BJP president Chandrakant Patil told reporters after the virtual meeting, which
discussed the COVID-19 situation in the state for over two hours.
At the meeting, suggestions of extending aid to the economically weaker sections and giving time to migrant workers to return to their hometowns in case of a lockdown was also discussed. The chief minister is expected to take a final call after meeting the Covid-19 task force on Sunday.
Senior NCP leader and minister Nawab Malik said the chief minister will hold talks with the state COVID-19 task force on Sunday before taking a decision.
While Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said he would hold a meeting on Monday on working out a financial package
for the sections whose livelihood will be impacted, his colleague Ashok Chavan said the “nature, scope and duration of the lockdown will be finalised soon”. Apart from prominent ministers from the ruling Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, state Congress president Nana Patole and other leaders also attended the meeting.
“The BJP feels a lockdown is necessary, but the government should first work out a financial package for the
people who will be affected,” Chandrakant Patil said. Patole said his party was in support of whatever decision the CM takes.
“However, Congress wants the lockdown to be less problematic, unlike the last year. We support a financial package for the affected population. The Opposition said that a financial package should be announced first,” he said.
Maharashtra continues to top the coronavirus charts in the country, reporting maximum cases. The chief minister has also expressed apprehensions of another spurt in the ongoing wave of coronavirus. On Friday, Maharashtra reported 58,993 coronavirus cases and has been seeing an uptrend in the cases for the past one month.
Last week Maharashtra government had decided against imposing a complete weekend lockdown, but imposed stricter curbs to control the coronavirus situation. As the cases soared, the Maharashtra cabinet announced a weekend lockdown from 8 pm on Friday to 7 am on Monday.
Termed as ‘Break the Chain Restrictions’, these curbs include shutting of schools, Work from Home for private offices, closure of multiplexes, restaurants,theatres, malls, pubs, gyms, waterparks, etc, while the public transport has been asked to operate according to its capacity. The state also imposed Section 144 through the day and night curfew during the night. The delivery personnel and newspaper sellers are advised to get vaccinated to be able to do their job hassle-free. Government offices have been asked to operate on 50% staff strength as part of the restrictions.
Many other states and cities, including national capital Delhi, followed Maharashtra to impose night curfews and other restrictions to keep the coronavirus spread in check last week. Meanwhile, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has ruled out the possibility of lockdown, but has said restrictions will be imposed in view of exponential rise in covid-19 cases in national capital.
(With PTI inputs)
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