Maharashtra lockdown plan tabled, CM Uddhav Thackeray to take final call on Sunday

The Maharashtra government is considering the possibility of a complete lockdown in the state, though, stricter restrictions and complete weekend lockdown was announced last week.

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Mumbai: The Maharashtra government weighed on the possibility of a complete lockdown as the COVID-19 situation in the state remains grim. Though last week, stricter restrictions and complete weekend lockdown was announced after a cabinet meeting the state is now mulling a complete lockdown.

On Saturday, Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray headed an all-party meeting to discuss the crisis and a proposal of a complete lockdown for 15 days was also floated.

Apart from Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, state Congress president Nana Patole and other leaders also attended the meeting.

“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. 

At the meeting, extending help to the economically weaker sections and giving ample time to migrant workers to return to their respective home states was also deliberated. Though, the meeting ended inconclusively. 

The chief minister is expected to take a final call on Sunday after meeting the COVID-19 task force.

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”.

In the last 24 hours, as many as 55,411 new cases of the coronavirus have been reported taking the total tally to 33,43,951. While 309 deaths have been reported taking the death toll to 57,638. In Maharashtra today, 53,005 patients were discharged after recovery. So far, 27,48,153 patients have been recovered and discharged in Maharashtra.

In Mumbai, 9,330 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported taking the total to 5,10,512. There have been 28 deaths from coronavirus with this a total of 11,944 deaths have been registered in Mumbai.