11 April,2020 05:02 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray
After a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video conference about the Coronavirus outbreak on the country, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has announced in his address to the state on Twitter that the lockdown will continue till April 30.
Making the announcement, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that the lockdown can be relaxed in certain areas while on others it will become stricter. He also said that the decision on lifting the curbs completely after April 30 will be taken depending upon the prevailing situation.
Thackeray also urged people to maintain basic hygiene, use masks and check themselves checked if the symptoms persist. "I told PM Modi that Maharashtra will continue lockdown after April 14," he said in the address while making the announcement.
The chief minister had hinted on a Wuhan-like lockdown in the state for some more days, earlier this week. "We are getting news from across the globe. The pandemic has intensified in the USA, Japan, and Singapore but China's Wuhan, where it all began, has lifted (lockdown) restrictions. But it took around 75 days for the situation to ease. I'm sure that we would also change our situation if we fought with similar caution," the CM had said in a webcast on Wednesday.
According to the state health ministry, 1,666 cases were reported in Maharashtra on Saturday. Seventy-two of these new cases were detected in Mumbai, it said. Five others tested positive in Malegaon, four in Thane, two each in Panvel and Aurangabad, one each in Kalyan- Dombivali, Vasai-Virar, Pune, Ahmednagar, Nashik city, Nashik rural and Palghar, the department added.
So far, 110 persons have died due to the infection in the state. As many as 188 patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovery, officials said. Till yesterday, 33,093 samples have been tested, they said.
Uddhav Thackeray has been regularly communicating with the people of Maharashtra via social media platforms, to provide information and steps taken by the state government to fight the COVID-19 crisis.
With inputs from agencies
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