Expect a second lockdown, albeit much different from last year’s, from the second or the third day of April for a limited period. Sources in the state government said, after receiving orders on Sunday from Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, that the administration has started preparing for the restrictions which would not hamper economic activities like before, but essentially focus on preventing crowding to arrest the spread of COVID-19.

Thackeray’s directives came at a review meeting on Sunday in which the COVID Task Force projected more deaths if restrictions like lockdown were not imposed. “Since the COVID protocol and guidelines are violated, the administration should prepare for a lockdown and make Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) available,” the CM was quoted as saying in an official statement.