Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thakeray has compared the battle against covid with the independence struggle saying if people do not follow the protocol the easing of restriction will be reversed in the state lockdown reverted to.
On Wednesday, Maharashtra relaxed the covid-19 lockdown guidelines. Uddhav Thakeray requested people’s cooperation in following the norms.
Speaking on the event of the country’s 75th independence day Thakeray said people need to act together to free the state and country from the pandemic.
Maharashtra is the worst covid-19 affected state in the country with 1.35 lakh fatalities now and nearly 64 lakh cases reported. 66 people have been found infected with the delta plus variant in the states so far. On Sunday 4,797 new cases were reported.
“We are easing restrictions now. We need to be more alert….. if the number of covid cases sees a rise then we will have no other option but to reimpose the lockdown.” Thakeray said in his independence day address after unfurling the national flag at Mantralaya, the state secretariat.
Even though medicines and vaccines are available, he said there was still a shortage of oxygen.
He paid tributes to covid warriors and citizens who lost their lives in the pandemic.
Mr. Thakeray pays tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji saying the warrior King sowed the seeds of the struggle for independence from foreign rule.