Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray: Cooperate or face a blanket lockdown

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has issued a warning that he will not hesitate to impose a total lockdown if citizens do not cooperate with the government which will issue strict guidelines in a couple of days to stop the unabated spread of COVID19 He was addressing the state online on Friday evening He reiterated the need to follow COVID protocols while apprising the citizens of the exponential growth rate of the past month He said that the medical infrastructure might be adequate in the coming days but that there wouldnrsquot be adequate medical and support staff to handle patientsA visitor to a mall shows a negative antigen test before entering Star City mall in Dadar File picThackeray came down heavily on political parties and individuals advising against a lockdown without even suggesting alternatives ldquoLockdown is surely harmful to the economy Advisors are giving advice but not suggesting ways to tackle the spike Wersquore in a complex situation wherein we have to save our economy as well as peoplersquos lives A political party wants that the people to be given Rs 5000 in case of lockdown and an industrialist wants us to create more medical facilities Can such advisors ensure that they give us at least 50 doctors nurses and paramedics to look after the patientsrdquo said the CMIf the CMrsquos indications are considered the mini lockdownlike restrictions would focus on places where crowds gather Such places would be shut 24X7 for at least a week Pune district would have a mini lockdown from Saturday onwards Hotels restaurants malls cinema hallsmultiplexes and bus transport would be completely shut Mumbai is likely to have Punelike restrictions said sourcesLives or jobsldquoThough the government has given instructions and imposed certain restrictions the local trains restaurants buses etc are packed Now tell me what to do Should we save lives or jobs You will certainly get jobs because that is in our handsrdquo said Thackeray He said political parties have threatened to take to the streets to oppose the lockdownUddhav Thackeray chief ministerldquoI ask them to do it happily but it should be done to fight the pandemic to take care of bereaved families to ensure tracing and testing to serve the people After all I see the need to fight the virus togetherrdquo he said requesting political opponents to not make the pandemic a political issueIt has been a year since we started our battle with this virus Some time ago it felt that we had managed to conquer the virus together In JanuaryFebruary it seemed that COVID was a thing of the pastmdash CMO Maharashtra CMOMaharashtra April 2 2021When the pandemic began last year we had just two labs for testing Now we have 500 In Mumbai we conduct around 50k tests daily The daily testing capacity in the State has been increased to 182 lakh We plan to increase this further to 25 lakhmdash CMO Maharashtra CMOMaharashtra April 2 2021We did not have even 10000 beds when the pandemic beganNow the number of beds has been increased to 375 lakh It includes isolation oxygen ICU and dialysis beds Maharashtra may be the first state to start field hospitals like the Army doesmdash CMO Maharashtra CMOMaharashtra April 2 2021He slammed people who donrsquot wear masks ldquoWhat is so brave in saying that I will not wear a maskrdquo he said in an apparent snub to a leader from Mumbai who refuses to follow basic COVID19 protocolldquoI trust you and you trust me You will have to decide for yourself to stop it I request political parties to not play with lives I will be coming out with strict restrictions in a couple of days after discussing with experts and others but I also caution today that there shall be a blanket lockdown if the situation doesnrsquot improve I canrsquot accept the status quordquo he saidFrom 300350 daily cases in Januaryend the number of patients in Mumbai has increased to 8500Then the daily cases were around 24000 and now it stands at about 43000 as on 1st April The number may cross 45000 todaymdash CMO Maharashtra CMOMaharashtra April 2 2021I have already directed for infrastructure to be added wherever necessary We can increase the beds ventilators oxygen supply and medicine supply But what about doctors nurses and medical staffmdash CMO Maharashtra CMOMaharashtra April 2 2021Just two or three days after recovery they have been reporting to work They are testing people for COVID going doortodoor They are tired and still not taking a pause Arenrsquot we going to give them some respitemdash CMO Maharashtra CMOMaharashtra April 2 2021We have sought more vaccine doses and the Centre is giving them Once this happens we will be able to vaccinate 6 to 7 lakh people dailyLet me reiterate we will have to use a mask wash hands frequently and maintain physical distance even after vaccinationmdash CMO Maharashtra CMOMaharashtra April 2 2021Today I am giving an indication for a complete lockdown but not announcing it formally If things do not improve visibly in a couple of days and if no other solution is found we will have to announce another lockdown like it is being done globallymdash CMO Maharashtra CMOMaharashtra April 2 2021The Government will never fall short when it comes to health infrastructure and the wellbeing of its people I am sure that you will cooperate like you did last year Let us together prepare to fight and win the battle that lies ahead Jai Hind Jai Maharashtramdash CMO Maharashtra CMOMaharashtra April 2 2021Thackeray assured citizens that the government was strong enough ldquoBut this is a twoway action You will have to collaborate and cooperate to defeat the devilrdquo added the chief minister