Lockdown extension in Mumbai, Pune

Mumbai: With 10 days to go for the lifting of the nationwide lockdown imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus, speculation is rife on the possibility of an extension of lockdown in some areas of the country that are under 'Red Zones and have seen a surge in cases in the past week.

Maharashtra is the worst affected state, accounting for almost one-third of all COVID-19 cases in the country with the tally touching over 17,000 cases as of May 8, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Mumbai and Pune are the worst affected zones with cases from both cities inching towards 15,000.

In view of this, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray called for an all-party meeting with state leaders on Thursday and continued day-long meetings with senior government officials in the state to assess the rising numbers in these cases.