Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said he was not in favour of complete lifting of the coronavirus-induced lockdown in the state

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said that he was not in favour of complete lifting of the coronavirus-induced lockdown in the state only to address the economic concerns.

He said there was a need to strike a balance between the issues related to health and economy considering the challenge posed by the pandemic.

Uddhav Thackeray"I will never say that the lockdown will be lifted completely. But I have started reopening a few things gradually. Once reopened, it shouldn't be shut again. Hence, I prefer taking steps in phases. You can't just think about economy or health. There needs to be a balance between the two," he said.

The ongoing lockdown in the state will continue till July 31. From June onwards, the government had started lifting the restrictions in phase-wise manner under its 'Mission Begin Again' initiative.

Lockdown"This pandemic is a global war. It has affected the entire world. Those countries which had lifted the lockdown in haste thinking that it was over, were again forced to impose it to curb the spread. In Australia, they had to rope in Army," he said.

"Many people are opposing lockdown. They say that lockdown is affecting the economy. To such people, I would say that I am ready to lift the lockdown, but if people die due to it, would you take the responsibility?...Even we are concerned about the economy," he said.