Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Saturday indicated that the lockdown in the containment zones of Mumbai and Pune may be extended till May 18, in view of the rapid increase in the number of coronavirus cases in these two cities.
Tope said that the main objective of the lockdown was to arrest the spread of the coronavirus and if the spread was being contained, the State Government would not have any alternative but to extend the lockdown in areas where pandemic is not contained, for another fortnight after the end of lockdown on May 3.
“At present, the issue is only with the slums where positive cases are increasing rapidly. We have to ensure that all the containment zones are completely cordoned off. If required, we will extend the lockdown for 15 more days after 3 May only for the containment zones, if not for the entire Mumbai and Pune," Tope said, while interacting with “Mint” newspaper.
There are 512 active containment zones in the state currently. In Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has identified 31 areas containment zones in Mumbai, while there are seven containment zones in Pune.
As on Friday evening, there were as many as 191 Covid-19 triggered deaths, while the total number of infected cases has mounted to 4870. In Pune, there have so far been 73 deaths and 1030 infected cases.
Tope said that his ministry had asked the state government to enforce lockdown restrictions on schools, colleges and public gatherings across Maharashtra till May 18. “For Mumbai and Pune, all non-essential services will not be allowed to operate in the hotspot areas for at least another 15 days after 3 May,” Tope said.