Mumbai: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Saturday said the government was considering
relaxation of the ongoing lockdown for containment of coronavirus in phases.
Earlier in the day he had said the state government may not lift lockdown on April 14 if people did not observe
discipline and the number of COVID-19 cases kept rising. Tope urged people to observe strict discipline so that the number of cases goes down, which will then pave the way for lifting of the lockdown.
"Discussion is on about whether the lockdown can be relaxed in phases. Strict rules will have to be followed in
the containment zones," Tope said in a live webcast later. The minister also urged people to take steps to boost
immunity. "Eat well and exercise indoors," he said. "Many ayurveda practitioners want to recommend treatment for coronavirus. They should post whatever information they have about alternative medicine onthe AYUSH portal," Tope added.
Earlier in the day, Tope had told PTI that "people must strictly observe discipline", otherwise "there will be no
other alternative left and the lockdown will have to be extended." In any case, lockdown will have to be lifted in phases as "not all the people can be allowed to come on to the streets at one go", the health minister had stated.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the 21-day lockdown in the country to combat the spread of the
coronavirus on March 24. The number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra rose by 47 on Saturday, taking the tally to 537. Twenty-six people have died due to the disease in the state till now.
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