New Delhi: Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Sunday hinted at a Covid-induced shutdown in the coming days in the state due to the large crowds witnessed during the recently concluded festival period.
“There were large crowds during the Diwali period. Even at the time of Ganesha Chaturthi, we saw crowds. We are talking with the relevant departments. We will review the situation for the next 8 to 10 days and then a decision will be made on the closure,” he said Pawar in Pune.
“Now there are predictions that a second wave may come. The government has made many regulations to start schools, which include different ways of how they should be disinfected,” he further said.
The state government has allowed schools to reopen for classes 9-12 starting tomorrow, depending on the Covid-19 situation in local areas.
The reopening of schools in Pimpri Chinchwad has been postponed until November 30 due to the Covid-19 situation. “A total of 17 teachers and teaching staff have tested positive for Covid out of 5,671 samples tested in rural Pune. More teachers and teaching staff will be tested,” Pune Zila Parishad said on Sunday.
Pawar’s statement comes at a time when speculation is gathering steam that the state is considering a possible suspension of train and flight operations to and from Delhi in light of the surge in coronavirus cases in the national capital.
“Various measures are being discussed to curb the spread of the virus in the state, and the suspension of train and flight operations to and from Delhi is one of them,” Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar told PTI.
“However, so far no decision has been made on this,” he added.
Maharashtra reported 5,760 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the infection count to 17,74,455, a health department official said.
With 62 people succumbing to the infection, the cumulative balance reached 46,573, he said.
A total of 4,088 patients were discharged on the day, raising the recovery count to 16,47,004, the official said, adding that the state now is left with 79,873 active cases.
The city of Mumbai reported 1,093 new cases, bringing the cumulative count to 2.74,579, while the number of deaths increased by 17 to 10,656.
The state has so far conducted 1,01,20,470 tests.
The Mumbai division, which consists of the city of Mumbai and satellite towns, reported 1,977 new cases, bringing the total count to 6,15,499. A total of 18,485 people have died so far in the region, the official said.
The number of cases in the Pune division was 4,44,534 and deaths at 10,493, it said.
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