Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said that “strict restrictions” will be put in place soon indicating the possibility of a lockdown in the state following a surge in coronavirus cases in the state.
Thackeray said this amid a fresh COVID-19 wave in the state that has seen the highest daily infections since the beginning of the pandemic in the last two weeks.
“I cannot rule out imposing a lockdown if the current COVID-19 situation prevails. People have become complacent. We are in a Catch 22 situation – should we look at economy or health?” the Chief Minister said in a televised address.
“If this condition continues, I have told you already that in 15 days we will exhaust our infrastructure. So today I am giving a warning of a lockdown. Not announcing a lockdown yet. But if I don’t find a solution in two days after speaking to more people, then I have no option,” he said.
Mr Thackeray said the state will announce new restrictions within the next two days.
Maharashtra, which has been worst-hit from COVID-19 so far, reported as many as 47,827 new cases on Friday – its highest since the pandemic spread to India in March 2020 – and 202 deaths. Several districts have announced special restrictions like night curfew.