MUMBAI – India’s coronavirus epicentre Maharashtra went into a statewide weekend lockdown today as the country battled exploding infection numbers and shortages of vaccines, drugs, and hospital beds.
Having let its guard down with mass religious festivals, political rallies, and spectators at cricket matches, India is experiencing a ferocious new wave with around a million new cases in the past week.
After a lockdown a year ago caused widespread misery and one of the sharpest downturns of any major economy, the central government is desperate to avoid a hugely unpopular second shutdown.
But many states are tightening the screw, in particular Maharashtra and its capital Mumbai, where restaurants are shut and public gatherings of more than five people are banned.
Every weekend until the end of April the state’s 125 million people are confined to their homes unless shopping for food, medicine, or travelling.
“I’m not for the lockdown at all but I don't think the government has any other choice,” media professional Neha Tyagi, 27, said in Mumbai.
“This lockdown could have been totally avoided if people would take the virus seriously.”
In further grim news, a fire broke in a private hospital in the state killing four patients, the fire brigade said. Last month a blaze at a Mumbai clinic killed 11. – AFP, April 10, 2021
