India / Lockdown will not be lifted completely after June 30: Maharashtra CM

Mumbai: Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday ruled out lifting the lockdown in the state which continues to grapple with a huge surge in Covid-19 cases.

“Lockdown will not be lifted after June 30 as the risk of infection is not over yet. We are extending relaxations step by step,” Thackeray said in an address.

Maharashtra remains the worst-hit state by the Covid-19 pandemic with a tally of almost 1.6 lakh out of which more than 74,000 cases are in Mumbai. Ten major cities including Mumbai continue to be in red zones with strict restrictions including no public transport. More than 7,000 people have died of Covid-19 in the state so far.

“There will be a spike in cases owing to relaxations in lockdown curbs,” the chief minister warned.

As the state battles to contain the rampaging spread of the virus, Thackeray said the government’s approach and treatment for Covid-19 has been at par with all developed countries.

“We are keeping a track of developments across the globe and our approach and treatment for Covid-19 has been at par with all developed countries. For instance when it comes to medicines we have been using all medicines from dexamethasone to Remdesivir as well as therapies like plasma therapy. But for using medicines like Remdesivir, we need Centre’s approval. We had sought approval at the end of April and got it only last week,” he said.

As part of its efforts to ease restrictions under fourth phase of its Mission Begin Again, the Maharashtra government on Sunday allowed barbershops, salons and beauty parlours to reopen after more than three months of shutdown.