With Maharashtra reporting alarming case surges, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday warned of lockdown in more parts of the State and that a decision would be taken in the next couple of days.
The Chief Minister also said the situation had not yet slipped out of control.
Mr. Thackeray’s statement came even as his Maha Vikas Aghadi government announced the imposition of a seven-day lockdown in Nagpur district in the Vidarbha region from March 15 onwards.
“In the coming days, we may have to impose lockdown in some more areas if rules are not strictly followed. We will take this decision in the next couple of days,” said Mr. Thackeray, after being administered his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the JJ Hospital.
He and his wife Rashmi were given a dose of Bharat Biotech’s ‘Covaxin’.
The Chief Minister exhorted people to strictly adhere to pandemic regulations — physical distancing, wearing mask and avoiding unnecessary travel.
He dispelled rumours pertaining to adverse after-effects of the vaccine, reassuring citizens that there was no need to fear or to be in any confusion about it.
The State’s active case tally has soared to nearly one lakh from less than 40,000 a fortnight ago.
Nagpur’s Guardian Minister Nitin Raut said a complete lockdown will remain in force in the city Police Commissionerate area from March 15 to March 21. Essential services like vegetable stores, milk booths and medical services will remain operational across the district.
Private offices will remain closed while government offices will work at 25% capacity, said Mr. Raut.
Liquor would be sold only online, he said.
Nagpur district has been reporting a daily average case surge of more than 1,200 cases for the last few days, climaxing with a record single-day jump of more than 1,800 new cases on Wednesday. The district has nearly 13,000 active cases and has recorded more than 3,500 fatalities.
A three-day ‘Janata curfew’ beginning Thursday has been imposed in Jalgaon district in north Maharashtra while district authorities in Jalna in the Marathwada region have decreed all bars and permit rooms shut over the next week in the wake of rising cases.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamana had warned of an impending lockdown and stringent restrictions to tackle the renascence of the pandemic.
