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NEW DELHI: Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said the possibility of lockdown cannot be ruled out if the current Covid-19 situation prevails.
Addressing the state amid rising Covid-19 cases, Uddhav warned that we may exhaust health infrastructure in the next 15-20 days if the situation deteriorates.
The CM further said the state will soon conduct 2.5 lakh tests and 70 per cent of these will be RT-PCR.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra on Friday reported as many as 47,827 new Covid-19 cases, its highest single-day rise in infection tally since the pandemic began.
Here are the top 10 things the chief minister said during his address:
-I am here to find solutions. Situation in Maharashtra more drastic than last year. We became complacent after cases went down.
-We had succeeded in combatting the virus sometime back. Till January-February, many had assumed that we are done with Covid-19. I can say today, we have not avoided that situation entirely. We still haven’t overcome this crisis.
-I cannot rule out imposing a lockdown if the current Covid-19 situation prevails.
-In a couple of days, strict restrictions will be issued to curb Covid.
-The situation is serious. If the Covid-19 situation continues, the facilities will not be enough. We are increasing facilities, but even if beds are increased, how shall we increase the number of doctors, nurses.
-There will be no compromise on standards. We are not hiding any data. Not a single case has been hidden.
-Till now, we have administered 65 lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses including 3 lakh vaccine doses yesterday. Even after vaccination, some people are getting infected because they stop wearing masks.
-Maharashtra has the capacity of vaccinating 6-7 lakh people in a day. But the vaccine doses supply should also be increased.
-Manpower has been stretched thin. We must all think about them while behaving irresponsibly.
-I am well aware that lockdown is damaging. But saving lives is the priority. I am not imposing a lockdown but warning about it. I am still talking to more people and if I don’t see a workable solution, I will have to take a decision in the next two days.
