Lockdown restrictions in Maha to be lifted zone-wise: Uddhav

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said that the coronavirus-induced lockdown restrictions will be lifted in the state in a zone-wise manner and the rules will be relaxed cautiously. In a live webcast, he said the lockdown rules will not be relaxed in haste.

"We will tread cautiously. It is in nobody's Interest to lift the lockdown in the (COVID-19) red zones like Mumbai, Pune region, Nagpur and Aurangabad where the number of positive cases is on the rise," he said. Thackeray said that in orange zones, even though there are no new positive cases, some active cases do exist, while in green zones there are no cases.

"Even in green zones, we can't take chances. Relaxations will be implemented step-by-step and cautiously," he said. Admitting that people were facing hardships due to the lockdown, he said, "But the real wealth of any country is the good health of its people. If people are safe then all is well." The chief minister said that there is fear about COVID-19 in people's mind, which he termed as "Covid syndrome. "We have to get out of it. We should know that the illness is curable if detected early, he said.

Thackeray said that the lockdown has acted as a "speed breaker" in the virus chain, and added that the number of positive cases in the state increased due to aggressive testing. He also greeted the people on the 60th foundation day of the state.

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