Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday directed officials to prepare a plan for the implementation of a lockdown if people fail to adhere to Covid-appropriate behaviour, PTI reported.

Thackeray held a meeting with officials on Sunday to review the situation the state. At the meeting, members of the state task force warned the government that Maharashtra could report 40,000 cases in the next 24 hours.

The chief minister then asked officials to be ready with a detailed plan for a lockdown that would have a minimum impact on the economy, the news agency reported. “There should not be any kind of confusion among people once a lockdown is announced,” Thackeray added.

On Saturday, the Maharashtra government imposed a ban on all social gatherings in the state due to a surge in coronavirus cases, The state recorded 35,726 new coronavirus cases and 166 deaths on Saturday. The toll jumped to 54,073.

Mumbai alone accounted for 6,123 infections – the highest ever one-day rise. The city’s overall tally rose to 3,91,751.