The Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamana on Monday raised concerns over the shutdowns as the Maharashtra government led by the party put in place a slew of preventive measures to stop the spread of coronavirus in the state.
Maharashtra has reported 32 Covid-19 cases so far, which is the highest in the country. Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad township are the most affected areas with 16 patients.
Positive cases of coronavirus were also reported from Mumbai, Nagpur, Yavatmal, Thane and Ahmednagar.
“There is a widespread fear of coronavirus across the country now. People value their lives, but if such a ‘bandh’ continues for a prolonged period, how should people earn? What will they eat, this is a question. People will be saved from coronavirus but will die of starvation,” the Marathi newspaper edited by Sena’s Sanjay Raut said.
The editorial asked if Pune should be locked down as China’s Wuhan to contain the spread of the virus that is in stage two in India.
“Pune has the highest [cases]. Should Pune be locked down like China’s Wuhan? It is important to take a decision on this. But currently, the virus is on stage two and it is important to stop its spread in this stage. It should be controlled for the next 30 days. The state must take whatever tough measures are required to control it,” it added.
The Saamana editorial also pointed out that Covid-19 has hit the global economy.
It said the pandemic has made the likes of US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi “nervous” and “unstable”.
“Where will this instability lead the world?” it asked.
