The Maharashtra government has left it to local authorities to take a call on various measures that may be needed in the wake of the February-March surge in Covid-19 cases.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has instructed Collectors, Municipal Commissioners, Police Commissioners and Superintendents of Police to take decisions based on the respective situation.
The state government has not yet taken any decision for a complete shutdown in cites and urban conglomerates where the cases are growing.
“It can be a night curfew, complete or partial lockdown.....cases are on the rise in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra. Nightclubs are likely to be shut first," state Textiles, Ports and Fisheries Minister Aslam Shaikh, who is the Guardian Minister of Mumbai City.
The statement comes a day after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray indicated some measures. “Yes, cases are on the rise, buy the end of the Budget session or in a few days, we have to decide. We will meet again and I will inform or I will do Facebook live, which the opposition likes,” he told reporters in Vidhan Bhavan complex.
"After the session, a decision has to be taken to ban people from going to places like Chowpatty and Gateway of India where there are unwarranted crowds. People often travel from Mumbai to Pune and Mumbai to Thane. Officers have been asked to check if restrictions on travel are needed.
In a related development, in Thane city, lockdown measures would be in force in dozen-odd hotspots from 13-31 March.
In the commercial capital of Mumbai, Lockdown has been ruled out, as of now.
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