Coronavirus Pandemic: Maharashtra is the worst-affected state in India (File)
Mumbai:
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will lead a cabinet meet at 3 pm to discuss the deeply worrying surge in coronavirus cases in the state over the past few weeks.
The meeting – to be conducted via video conferencing to maintain social distancing – is expected to shed light on further rules and measures to be enforced to control the spread of the virus.
Maharashtra reported nearly 50,000 new cases on Saturday – around 60 per cent of all cases reported from across the country. State capital Mumbai alone reported over 9,000 cases – the most in a day since the pandemic began in December last year.
On Friday Mr Thackeray addressed the people of the state and warned of a “Catch-22 situation” – one in which another lockdown could not be ruled out, even at the potential catastrophic cost to the economy, if the surge in cases continued.
“I cannot rule out imposing a lockdown if current Covid situation prevails. People have become complacent. We are in a Catch-22 situation – should we look at economy or health?” he said.
“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.