Last week, in a meeting with all party leaders, Uddhav had indicated that the lockdown may be extended until May end to prevent the spread of Covid-19. (File Photo)

In a meeting with his senior Cabinet colleagues on Thursday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray discussed extending the lockdown in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and cities such as Pune, Malegaon and Aurangabad till May 31. He also asked the state administration to submit a report on what activities can be allowed outside containment zones in cities that are in the red zone category.

Uddhav chaired the meeting to discuss the way ahead after May 17. It was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil, Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat, Industries Minister Subhash Desai and Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde at Old Mayor bungalow in Dadar.

Maintaining that the lockdown will be extended in these areas, a senior minister said: “We discussed what relaxations can be given and what measures should be taken in red zones or hotspot areas such as Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Malegaon and Aurangabad. We all agreed to extend the lockdown in these areas till May 31, as saving lives is the priority.”

Last week, in a meeting with all party leaders, Uddhav had indicated that the lockdown may be extended until May end to prevent the spread of Covid-19. He had also spoken in favour of extending the lockdown during a video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.