While many individuals have been making big plans once the lockdown ends, Maharashtra residents better be prepared to cool their heels.
After the meeting with PM Modi, Maha CM Uddhav Thackeray had tweeted: “The PM said the state government should not lift the lockdown immediately from April 15, but it should happen in phases. Precautions should be taken that there is no crowding.”
Rajesh Tope, the Maha Health Minister gave credence to the theory suggesting there’d be phase-wise relaxation and was quoted saying by ANI: “We are discussing whether to give phase-wise relaxation after April 14, but this will be possible only if people cooperate and maintain discipline.”
Tope’s comments are in line with what he said earlier. “We are expecting the positive Covid-19 cases to recede by April 15, after an initial spike. We will have to extend the lockdown period by a few more weeks… Lifting it fully in a city like Mumbai is unlikely,” said Tope, adding imposing restrictions to contain the spread of coronavirus is a decision the state government can take.
He had further said: “I personally feel it will have to be extended in Mumbai.”
Containment of the virus was a big task in Maharashtra and said that no stone was being left unturned. He had said: “Our health workers, police and municipal corporation workers have been working on the cluster containment action plan, with 292 teams working on it in Mumbai.
The state government was also mulling exempting auxiliary sectors, those that support essential ones.
A state government official, who did not want to be named, said manufacturing units engaged in the production of polythene or chemicals required for packaging of essential commodities are likely to be exempted from the lockdown. “The stock of material manufactured in these auxiliary sectors will last for the next eight days or so. As per the representation made to us by these sectors, they need to be exempted from the lockdown,” the official said. Tope said the exemption of such sectors was necessary to ensure the smooth supply of essential goods.
All said and done, Mumbaikars making huge plans for April 15 would do well to can them given that the lockdown will most likely continue for a while.