Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said Sunday wearing masks will be mandatory for the next six months in the state. Uddhav Thackeray said thai while addressing the people of state on social media. The chief minister said that experts are in favour of imposing night curfew or another lockdown. However, he does not wish to implement those measures again. Thackeray also appealed to people to be careful during the New Year celebrations.
The coronavirus situation in Maharashtra is under control, though not completely, Thackeray said. “Prevention is better than cure. Wearing of mask at public places should be made a habit for another six months at least,” Thackeray asserted. “Those who don’t follow the safety protocol should know they are putting lives of others, who are abiding by rules, at risk,” he added.
Thackeray informed the people about the discovery of a new strain of the virus in Europe. It has resulted in lockdown in several countries as there was no other option. The chief minister said even though life is slowly limping back to normalcy in Maharashtra, reopening of schools has been a problem.
Hitting out at the BJP for calling him egoistic, Thackeray said he ‘had ego for the welfare of Mumbai and Maharashtra’. “Governments come and go, but development is for people and their future generations,” he said.
Thackeray also said his government has been utmost transparent in releasing statistics regarding COVID-19 positive cases and deaths. Maharashtra reported 3,940 new COVID-19 cases Saturday. It took the state’s tally to 18,92,707. It also reported 74 deaths due to the pandemic, taking the death toll to 48,648.