Mumbai, November 28: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said that in order to avoid another coronavirus-induced lockdown in the state, people must follow COVID-appropriate behaviour, and asked the authorities to take necessary steps to protect citizens from the new Omicron variant of the virus without waiting for the Centre's directives.

He was speaking during a virtual meeting with divisional commissioners and district collectors held to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the state and the precautionary measures that need to be taken in view of the Omicron variant detected in South Africa.

"Do whatever is needed to prevent the new deadly variant of COVID-19. Get started without waiting for central government's directives," Thackeray asked the officials. How Dangerous is Omicron Variant? South African Medical Association Says COVID-19 New Variant Causes 'Mild Disease' .

"Citizens need to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour to prevent another lockdown in the state," he said. During the meeting, Thackeray also asked the authorities to keep a vigil on all travellers landing at the state airports, the chief minister's office (CMO) said in a statement.

(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)