Lockdown likely to extend in Mumbai, Pune till May 15

Amid rising number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, the Uddhav Thackery-led state government is most likely to extend the lockdown till May 15 in coronavirus hotspots Mumbai and Pune.

As on Sunday morning (April 26), the total number of coronavirus cases in the state stood at 7,628, out of which 1,076 have recovered and 323 have died, according to data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

As reported by Indian Express, Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the extension of lockdown in Mumbai and Pune is under consideration and that the decision will be taken after discussing all aspects.

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The main objective of implementing the lockdown was to stop the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and if the spread is not contained, the government will extend the lockdown, Tope told Mint.

On Friday (April 24), Tope had said that the Maharashtra government will push for aggressive testing to detect coronavirus and also increase facilities for institutional quarantine.

Reports suggest that the state government is in favour of allowing most activities to resume from May 4 in rural areas, especially in green and orange zones.

Total number of COVID-19 containment zones in Mumbai has crossed the 1000 mark on Saturday. At present, there are a total of 1,036 containment zones in the city.

Containment zones are completely quarantined zones and no one is allowed to step out even to buy essential goods such as milk, vegetables, fruits, etc.