Maharashtra extends lockdown in hotspot areas like Mumbai, Pune, Malegaon, Aurangabad & Solapur till May 31

On Thursday, the state government had expressed its intent to extend the lockdown in hotspots till month-end. The possibility of extending the lockdown was discussed in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. 

“In the rest of the state, the guidelines of the Centre will be implemented when they are announced before the lockdown 3.0 ends on May 17,” a state government official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI on Thursday.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil, Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde, Industries Minister Subhash Desai, Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat and PWD Minister Ashok Chavan.

As of Wednesday night, the coronavirus count in Maharashtra stood at 25,922. 975 people have lost their lives so far due to the deadly virus with Mumbai, the financial capital of the country accounting for 15,747 cases and 596 deaths.

COVID-19 lockdown was first implemented on March 24 and has been extended twice, on April 14 and May 4. On Tuesday, PM Narendra Modi had said that lockdown 4.0, which may follow post-May 17, will be different from the three phases implemented so far.

The ongoing lockdown, which was extended by the Union Home Ministry on May 4, concludes on May 17. PM Modi, who had held marathon meetings with chief ministers on Monday, had sought states’ views on extending the lockdown further. A detailed guideline on the rules for lockdown 4.0 is expected by May 16.