As Maharashtra battles its worst coronavirus crisis, the state's Health Minister said "there was a chalta hai (anything goes) type attitude briefly" in combating the virus but that it was corrected. The minister warned that the state is heading towards a lockdown if the cases continue to rise.
"I accept that there was a little 'chalta hai' type attitude (in combating the virus), but immediately, we took steps," Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope told NDTV.
India, with Maharashtra being the worst-hit, is facing a ferocious second wave that has brought the fastest infection rate since the pandemic began, with over 1.3 lakh cases recorded in the past 24 hours. Over 56,000 of these new cases are from Maharashtra.
"We are not in favour of a lockdown but it will be essential to break the chain if things don't improve," Mr Tope said.
Mr Tope questioned how other states are not reporting as many cases despite massive public rallies being in states where assembly elections are being held. "We're very honest and transparent. None of the active cases are being hidden. None of the death cases are being hidden," he said when asked about criticism that his state had mismanaged the crisis.
