Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Monday said people must follow COVID-19 safety protocols if the state is to avoid another lockdown. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was of the view that lockdown may become necessary in some cities if the new cases continue climb, Tope told reporters here.

At the same time, he also defended the state's response rising cases and pointed out that in terms of cases per million population, many states have fared worse. He met the Chief Minister two days ago, Tope said.