Explained: Will Maharashtra govt put Pune, Pimpri under coronavirus lockdown?

Mumbai, Mar 17: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has said that the state government, which has the highest number of positive cases of coronavirus, is contemplating in putting Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad under lockdown amid the novel COVID-19 scare in the nation.

Speaking to reporters, Chavan had said, "I spoke to CM Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday about the proactive steps that need to be taken to stop coronavirus from spreading. The government might soon make a decision in this connection as it was already planning to move faster."

The former Chief Minister has said that Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Mumbai should be under lockdown.

"In Mumbai, especially, if local train services are stopped, it will help in stopping the spread of the virus. Thousands of people travel by trains in Mumbai daily. Pune bus and local train services can be stopped," he said.

What is Shiv Sena's stand on the complete lockdown?

Recently, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut reportedly said that a discussion in the state government was underway on providing strong steps to tackle the virus spread.

Speaking to reporters, Sanjay Raut said, "In Wuhan, coronavirus was controlled after the city was put on lockdown. Therefore, there is a need for the government to contemplate whether to lockdown Pune to control the spread.".

He further went on to say that the next 30 days would be crucial in controlling the virus and if it is not controlled now, then it will spread like an epidemic and will be difficult to control.

Number of positive cases in India:

According to the health ministry, the number of confirmed cases in India has shot up to 114. COVID-19, which has infected over 1.5 lakh people globally, is likely to cause more shutdowns across the country. The states are on a run to stop the deadly virus from spreading.

Maharashtra tops the list with 32 positive cases in the state while Kerala has 23 positive coronavirus cases.