Coronavirus cannot be taken for granted: Centre tells Maharashtra

Mumbai : The Centre is very much concerned with the rising number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, said NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul. He also mentioned that the virus cannot be taken for granted and India must remain covid-free nation.

VK Paul's remark came a day after Maharashtra government announced a week long lockdown (March 15 to March 21) in Nagpur which has reported more than 1800 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours.

"We are very worried about Maharashtra. This is a serious matter. This has two lessons - don't take the virus for granted, and if we have to remain Covid free, then, we need to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour," he said, while addressing a press conference.

The Union Health Ministry also mentioned that eight out of 10 cities with most coronavirus cases belong to Maharashtra. They include - Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Mumbai, Amravati, Jalgaon, Nashik and Aurangabad.

Maharashtra, the worst-hit state in the country, today reported 13,659 daily coronavirus cases, which is 60 percent of the country's single-day total.

Meanwhile, CM Uddhav Thackeray has warned of more lockdowns if the situation does not improves in the state.

"Some areas of Maharashtra will witness strict lockdown measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus infection. The government is going to hold a special meeting with officials before coming out with the lockdown measures," he said.