Maharashtra govt taking calculated risk: Uddhav Thackeray on easing of Covid-19 curbs

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said the government was taking a calculated risk by relaxing the coronavirusinduced restrictions in the state and added that people need to take care of themselvesHe made the statement during a virtual meeting with leading industrialistsThe state government has announced a fivelevel plan to relax the coronavirusinduced restrictions in the state from Monday based on the weekly positivity rate and the occupancy of oxygen beds A notification to this effect was issued on Friday nightAlso Read Unlock Mumbai at level 3 local trains yet offlimits for common peopleThe state government is taking a calculated risk and hence people have to take care of themselves Nothing is going to be eased immediately Some criteria and levels have been fixed and the local administration will take decisions on whether to ease restrictions and further tighten them the chief minister saidAs per the unlock notification areas with positivity rate of five per cent or less and oxygen bed occupancy of less than 25 per cent will be in the first category and can open up completelyWhereas in the fifth category areas with positivity rate of more than 20 per cent only essential shops will remain open and office attendance will be capped at 15 per centDuring the meeting Thackeray also said that the state should set an example before the country by showing that the industrial sector can function uninterrupted by following all Covid19 norms during restrictionsWe should not let ourselves be knocked down by the virus he saidNeither a lockdown is required nor do we want to get knocked down by the virus So all health related rules have to be followed Thackeray addedHe said if there is a need to go for another lockdown after the possible third wave there should be no impact on manufacturingIndustries should set up temporary accommodations in their premises for their staff and employees The planning process should begin now he saidProminent among those who participated in the meeting included Uday Kotak Sanjiv Bajaj B Thiyagrajan Naushad Forbes Amit KalyanAshok Hinduja A N Subramanyam Ajay Piramal Harsh Goenka Niranjan Hiranandani along with the state governments Covid19 task force members Sanjay oak and Shashank JoshiA statement from the Chief Ministers Office CMO said the industrialists present at the meeting welcomed the criteria of positivity rate and oxygen bed occupancy to ease restrictions and the levels fixedThey said awareness should be created about this among people and also offered help in checking the spread of corona virus in rural areas They suggested that members of the unorganised sector should be vaccinated and the IT sector professionals should be allowed to continue working from homeTheir other suggestions include vaccination of not just employees of the industrial sector but also their familiesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever