"Some areas of Maharashtra will witness strict lockdown measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus infection. The government is going to hold a special meeting with officials before coming out with the lockdown measures," Thackeray said.
Though authorities and NGOs have made arrangements for their food, most of them want to go back to their native places to escape the hardship brought by the sweeping curbs.
The ministry of home affairs, however, said there was a need to maintain a strict lockdown till May 3 so that the gains are not squandered away.
The coronavirus-enforced lockdown has changed the perception that kitchen and household chores are a woman's domain, as men are also pitching in to share the domestic workload and in the process learning and upgrading their culinary skills.
The home ministry asked the state governments and UT administrations to inform it about different aspects of the lockdown and whether there are necessities to give exemptions to some more categories of people and services from the restrictions, a home ministry official said.
"GOI's inaction is killing many innocent people," Rahul said.
Sure we understand that isolating affected communities is part of the pandemic protocol, but we don't wish our life and freedom to be tossed aside at the slightest excuse, states Shyam G Menon.
The day before, the state government banned assembly of more than five persons in public places between 9 pm to 6 am and restricted the number of people allowed at public functions in view of a spurt in coronavirus cases.
The states were advised to plan for the requisite number of isolation, oxygen supported and ICU beds based on the prevalent and expected case growth rate. the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is also monitoring the COVID-19 hospital infrastructure, he said.
'But again, do we have a choice? Absolutely not. The entire world does not have a choice. Everyone has to deal with patience. It is a global issue so the awareness is global, too.'
With the coronavirus cases rising once again in the state, there were reports that the Madhya Pradesh government was considering announcing a fresh lockdown.
The 21-day lockdown is aimed at checking the spread of the coronavirus.
Addressing a press conference via video conference, Gandhi also said the entire country has to fight the crisis "unitedly" and there is need to grant adequate resources to the states to help them deal with it in a "nuanced" manner.
Strict lockdown-like restrictions are already in place in the southern stateand the Pinarayi Vijayan government decided to clamp the complete shutdown in the wake of severe spike in the positive cases.
Noting that the situation on the ground was "very difficult", the Congress leader said it was high time the prime minister announced a relief package for the poor and a financial stimulus for the economy.
The guidelines listed several services including government and private offices that will be out of bounds during the period, while exempting establishments such as hospitals, ration shops, dairies, banks, insurance offices, and print and electronic media. Delivery of all essential goods including food, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment through e-commerce has also been exempted from the purview of the lockdown.
Mayur Malsane reveals how he lost weight in the lockdown with diet and exercise.
Women rights activists said they have also received numerous complaints of domestic violence from women since the enforcement of the lockdown.
Cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir seems to be making most of the lockdown across the country. The lockdown across India was extended till May 3 to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and East Delhi MP Gambhir is getting to spending time with his kids at home, even though they are not letting him catch up with his sleep.
The Delhi government had been forced to impose lockdown amid a steep rise in COVID-19 cases on April 20. Although, the cases have come down and positivity rate has reduced from the high of 35 per cent on April 26 to around 23 per cent now, but strictness is needed.
Mukund Dange, 43, general manager-purchase in Chennai Tamil Nadu tells us how he is making the most of the lockdown.
Kapil Dev's new look was revealed on Twitter by his team-mate Chetan Sharma, where he was seen sporting sunglasses and a black blazer.
As per the law, obstruction or refusal to comply with directions results in loss of lives or imminent danger thereof, shall on conviction be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years.
The state had witnessed a record single-day spike of 7,014 cases on Sunday.
The chief minister, however, added, "It's a matter of concern since the COVID-19 cases are rising exponentially. But there is no need to panic. The government is monitoring the situation and taking all necessary steps."
Uddhav Thackeray also said that the decision on lifting the curbs completely after April 30 will be taken depending upon the prevailing situation.
IT and IT-enabled services will be allowed to operate with essential minimum staff only while the rest would work from home.
The move to resume work in ministries comes nearly a month after the government issued work from home protocols in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Koushik Debnath from Agartala tells us how he spent the last few days in the lockdown.
There is no immediate need for imposing lockdown or additional restrictions in Mumbai as the bed occupancy rate, oxygen requirement and number of Covid-19 deaths are low, municipal commissioner Iqbal Chahal said on Friday.
The CPCB said reduction in PM10 and PM2.5 levels primarily indicate depletion in combustion and industrial sources of pollution which are common to both fractions of particulate matter.
Para-athlete Yogesh Kathuniya expressed his disappointment towards the lack of enthusiasm in the reception of para-athletes on their return following India's record-breaking campaign in Paris.
Lockdown relaxations by Kerala amounts to dilution of its lockdown guidelines, says the Union home ministry.
See how our young readers are staying busy during the lockdown.
'Many challenges may come our way. It is up to us to make it colourful.'
The video conference, which began at 11 am, comes amid indications that the central government may extend the nationwide lockdown with some possible relaxations even as Punjab and Odisha have already announced extending the lockdown beyond April 14 when the current spell of 21-day shutdown across the country ends on Tuesday.
>More young women and men want solid relationships as opposed to casual sex, reveals Able Joseph, founder of the dating app Aisle.
Deepak G C, 49, an electrical engineer, shares his fascinating story.
'Considering the seriousness of the situation, the state government has decided to extend the lockdown till July 31,' Chief Minister Hemant Soren said in a tweet.
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Tuesday said if the daily Covid-19 cases in the city cross the 20,000-mark, a lockdown will be imposed in the city as per the Union government's rules.
