Mumbai, Aug 28 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said the Centre's directives to states to ensure there is no crowding during the upcoming festivals underlines the need to prioritise lives of people amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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In a public appeal, Thackeray sought cooperation from political and social groups as well as all spheres of society as COVID-19 continued to hang over everyone's heads like the "sword of Damocles".

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Maharashtra and the rest of the country had succeeded in slowing the spread of the virus, but there was need to continue focusing on testing, tracing and treatment as well as following all COVID-19 protocols, he said.

Health experts fear upcoming festivals may act as super spreaders, with a new variant of the virus already being detected in Maharashtra and some other states, the CM said, adding that people needed to behave responsibly.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)