Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said that the coronavirus-induced lockdown restrictions will be lifted in the state in a zone-wise manner after May 3 and the rules will be relaxed cautiously.
In a live webcast, he said the relaxation of rules will not be carried out in haste.
"We will tread cautiously. It is in nobody's Interest to lift the lockdown in the (COVID-19) red zones like Mumbai, Pune region, Nagpur and Aurangabad, where the number of positive cases is on the rise," he said.
The government was, however, working on relaxing the rules elsewhere, he said.
"Don't crowd in places where the restrictions are relaxed, otherwise the rules will have to be made stricter," he said.
Thackeray said that in orange zones, even though there are no new positive cases, some active cases do exist, while in green zones there are no cases.
"Even in green zones, we can't take chances. Relaxations will be carried out after May 3 zone-wise. It will be one step-by-step and cautiously," he said.
Admitting that people were facing hardships due to the lockdown, he said, "But the real wealth of any country is the good health of its people. If people are safe then all is well."