Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray says lockdown must to break the chain of coronavirus infection

A consensus in this regard has been reached in an all party meeting and an announcement is likely soon, the reports added.

Maharashtra has imposed a night curfew to combat the massive rise, contributing to over half of the cases reported nationwide.

Despite the night curfew, the state is unable to bring down the fresh coronavirus infections, prompting the chief minister to take stricter measures.

While interacting with the Leader of the Opposition and his cabinet colleagues from Congress and NCP through a video link on Saturday, Thackeray said  strict restrictions will have to be imposed, albeit temporarily, to beak the chain of coronavirus infection, and appealed to the leaders of all the paties to lend their support to the state government's decision for the welfare of the people.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Minister Ashok Chavan, Balasaheb Thorat, Dilip Walse Patil, Eknath Shinde, Jayant Patil, Rajesh Tope, Amit Deshmukh, as well as Congress State President Nana Patole, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, Pravin Darekar and Chandrakantdada Patil.

The meeting began with a briefing by Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte on the Covid situation in the state and how the government is facing the challenge. 

"We have to prioritize saving lives first. If this is a health emergency, the priority should be the health and well-being of the citizens," the chief minister said.He added that the suggestions made by the Leader of the Opposition wee good and will  be taken seriously.

Thackeray will hold a meeting with the state task force on Sunday and will meet other stakeholders over the next few days before following which a decision on the duration of the lockdown will be taken, reported Hindustan Times.

However, media reports said that not all leaders of Shiv Sena-Congress-Nationalist Congress Party coalition that rules the state is in favour of a lockdown. Opposition BJP has also opposed it.

However, not all members of the Shiv Sena-Congress-Nationalist Congress Party coalition that rules the state are in favour of a lockdown and neither is the opposition BJP, sources said.

"Lockdown of a few days is necessary and then relaxations can be given. The Chief Minister will hold a meeting with the state Covid task force on Sunday," Deputy Chief Minister Ashok Chavan told news agency ANI.

According to NDTV, former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP said, "If you impose lockdown, people will be angry. Many businesses will be shut. Think about that."

BJP state unit chief Chandrakant Patil said, "BJP is not against lockdown but there should be a proper plan before going ahead."

Maharashtra reported nearly 59,000 new cases of the coronavirus, and 301 deaths.