Indian State Government Including Mumbai Considers 'Full Lockdown' Amid Surge in COVID-19 Cases

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Maharashtra, a state in western India that includes major cities such as Mumbai and Pune, is considering a full lockdown measure amid the spread of COVID-19.

According to local media including the Times of India on the 3rd (local time), Uddhav Thackeray, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, stated the day before, "If the current situation continues and residents do not reduce their activities, a full lockdown order may be issued within a few days."

This means strengthening the nighttime activity restrictions currently in place in some areas to completely block outings and movement. India also issued a nationwide lockdown last March when the number of COVID-19 cases surged. Currently, daily life is possible except in some regions.

Chief Minister Thackeray warned, "The current situation is concerning," adding, "If this state continues, the healthcare infrastructure could face a shortage within 15 to 20 days."

As of the morning of the 3rd, India’s new confirmed cases reached 89,129, nearly ten times higher than in February. More than half of the new cases are coming from Maharashtra. If this trend continues, it is analyzed that the number could surpass the previous peak of 97,894 cases in September last year. Meanwhile, the vaccination rate is only about 5% of the total population.

On this day, India’s cumulative confirmed cases totaled 12,392,260, ranking third after the United States and Brazil.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.