Night curfew will be imposed in entire Maharashtra from March 28 in view of alarming rise in coronavirus cases, an official statement said on Friday.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray ordered night curfew from Sunday onwards, it said.

Thackeray also warned of stricter restrictions if the people did not observe COVID-19 safety protocol, it said.

The chief minister reviewed the COVID-19 situation in the state in a meeting with divisional commissioners, district collectors, superintendents of police and deans of medical colleges.

"I do not wish to impose lockdown. But there seems a possibility of healthcare facilities falling short given the rise in number of coronavirus patients," Thackeray was quoted as saying.

He asked officials to ensure availability of adequate hospital beds and medicines, the statement said.

Maharashtra recorded 35,952 coronavirus infections on Thursday, the highest one-day rise since the pandemic began.

The state added over one lakh cases in four days.