MUMBAI – India's worst-hit and richest state Maharashtra will impose stricter restrictions for 15 days on Wednesday in an effort to stem the surge of coronavirus infections that is threatening to overcome hospitals.
Top state officials stressed that the closure of most industries, businesses, public places and limits on the movement of people didn't constitute a lockdown.
Last year, a sudden, harsh, nationwide lockdown left millions jobless overnight. Stranded in cities with no income or food, thousands of migrant workers walked on highways to get home.
Since then, state leaders have repeatedly stressed that another lockdown wasn't on the cards. The distinction did little to allay Ramachal Yadav's anxieties.