Uddhav Thackeray asks officials to prepare ‘all inclusive SOP’ for upcoming lockdown

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has asked officials to prepare 'an all inclusive SOP’ for the lockdown to be initiated in the state.
The development comes after the state government’s Covid Task Force unanimously urged the state government to implement a lockdown. The Task Force comprising health experts, private doctors and former government officials told Thackeray that a lockdown has to be imposed in the state.

The Task force members suggested that the lockdown be put in place for 14 days, while some others suggested that it could be for 8 days.

The lockdown decision would probably take two more days as the government is engaged in talks with several departments including the Finance department to see whether any relief could be given to those who would be affected the most.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope, while speaking to reporters after the meeting on Sunday, said, “We discussed about what measures need to be implemented if a lockdown is to be imposed, and for how many days. The Task Force was of the opinion that a situation for initiating a lockdown has come up in the state."

Tope said that a decision could happen after it is discussed during Wednesday’s cabinet meeting.

In a press note issued by the Chief Minister’s office after the meeting, Thackeray was quoted as saying that "several people have been complaining that while they have been following the instructions laid down by the government, Covid has been spreading and that a lockdown needs to be imposed to stop the spread of the pandemic."

The CM added that the state "will prepare an all inclusive SOP(for the lockdown) after speaking with officials."

Officials said that the government would be speaking to the Finance Ministry as pressure is building up on the government for a relief package to several sectors, traders, daily wage labourers that would be affected by the lockdown.

In the meeting, Maharashtra Health Secretary Pradeep Vyas spoke of the dire situation of health services, saying that 11 to 12 districts in the state have run out of beds for new patients.