Thackeray to meet officials as Covid-19 cases rise; Mumbai faces curbs

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will on Friday meet senior civil servants to discuss the state’s spurt in Covid-19 cases, said news agency ANI.

The state on Thursday reported 43,183 new Covid-19 cases and 249 deaths, making the numbers the highest one-day rise since the pandemic began. It was the state’s highest number of deaths since October.

Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Thursday said that Mumbai may announce restrictions from April 2, claiming "people do not listen" to safety precautions. Hotels could be asked to operate at 50 per cent seating capacity and religious places might be shut completely.

Mumbai reported 8,646 cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, making it the highest one-day spike since the pandemic hit the city early last year. The city reported 18 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Thackeray on Sunday asked districts to chalk out strategies for a possible second lockdown. "Plan for lockdown... If there is no adherence to restrictions by the people, we may have to go in for it (lockdown) if people fail to follow the new normal," a grim Thackeray said at a meeting of the Covid-19 Task Force.