Maharashtra complete lockdown for 14 days starts from April 14: Health Minister Rajesh Tope

Mumbai: Maharashtra may impose a complete lockdown from April 14 across the state, health minister Rajesh Tope said on Sunday after chief minister Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting with senior officials to discuss the guidelines for the restrictions.

Majority of the health experts, who attended the state Covid-19 task force meeting, were of the view that the state needs to impose lockdown for at least 14 days. “The duration of the lockdown and how to handle its economic fallout was discussed during today’s meeting.

The task force is of the view that the prevailing coronavirus situation in the state is such that a lockdown is required,” Rajesh Tope said to media. Tope also said that setting up of an oxygen generation plant in the state was also discussed during the task force meeting.

“CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray in a meeting with the State Task Force discussed the availability of oxygen & beds, use of Remdesivir, treatment protocols, increase in capacity of facilities, imposition of restrictions & fines for violating COVID protocols,” the chief minister’s office (CMO) said in a tweet.

Maharashtra’s medical education minister Amit Deshmukh, state’s chief secretary Sitaram Kunte and others also took part in the meeting. Thackeray is scheduled to hold another meeting with the finance and other departments on Monday and he will also discuss the lockdown in the cabinet meeting scheduled later this week.