Uddhav Thackeray Govt Likely To Extend Covid-19 Lockdown In Maharashtra Hotspots Till May 31

The Maharashtra government may extend the lockdown in hotspot areas of the state till May 31.

The report says that this plan was discussed during a meeting yesterday with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. (Getty Image)

Mumbai: With an increasing number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, the government is mulling to extend the lockdown in hotspot areas of the state. According to a report by PTI, the Maharashtra government on Thursday has hinted that they might extend the lockdown till May 31 in hotspot areas Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune, Solapur, Aurangabad, and Malegaon. The report says that this plan was discussed during a meeting yesterday with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. "The government expressed its intent to extend the lockdown in MMR, Pune, Solapur, Aurangabad and Malegaon town in Nashik district till May 31. The state's view will be conveyed to the Centre in writing. In the rest of the state, the guidelines of the Centre will be implemented when they have announced before the lockdown 3.0 ends on May 17," said an official said in the report. The report says that 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 had also attended the meeting. Maharashtra has become the epicentre for Coronavirus in the country. At present, it has a total of 27,524 confirmed cases. A report by IANS says that the last 24 hours the state has also recorded the highest number of deaths which stands at 1019. In Mumbai, Dharavi has turned into a big hotspot and on Thursday the area recorded 33 new cases, taking the total number of patients to 1,061, and the death toll to 49. The report also said that Pune has a total of 3,783 patients. Other areas that have a high number of cases include Nashik Division which had 71 deaths and 1,193 positive cases, Akola Division with 26 deaths and 428 cases, and finally Aurangabad with 20 fatalities and 799 patients by Thursday. On Tuesday during the address to the nation, the Prime Minister had talked about a fourth phase of the lockdown or Lockdown 4.0. Further details and the protocols for the fourth phase is still awaited.