Amid deteriorating COVID-19 situation in the state, Maharashtra cabinet meeting is scheduled to be held today.
The Cabinet meeting will take place at 3 pm today through video conferencing. Decision on lockdown or stricter curbs is likely to be taken during the meeting.
On Friday, while addressing people through live webcast, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had said that a lockdown cannot be ruled out if the situation did not improve.
He said the state may face a shortage of healthcare facilities if the present surge in coronavirus cases continued. "If this situation continues, the prevailing health facilities would be inadequate," the chief minister warned.
"Till now, we have administered 65 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses, including three lakh vaccine doses yesterday," CM Thackeray said.
But some people are getting infected even after vaccination because they stop wearing masks, he added. People have become complacent, the chief minister noted, and said, "I cannot rule out imposing lockdown if the current situation prevails."
The state government wanted to safeguard the economy and livelihood of the poor, but it also wanted to save lives, Thackeray added.
"I am talking to experts on whether there is an alternative to a complete lockdown and how to break the virus chain. I agree lockdown is harmful. In a day or two, guidelines for stricter restrictions will be announced," he said. He appealed political parties not to politicise the pandemic situation.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra on Saturday reported 49,447 fresh COVID-19 cases, the highest rise in a day so far, taking the tally to 29,53,523 while 277 fatalities pushed the toll to 55,656.
