Maharashtra recorded 49,447 new Covid-19 infections on Saturday, the highest peak in a single day in the state since the start of the pandemic. The increase comes a day after the chief minister, Uddhav Thackeray, warned of a lockdown if no alternative is found. Mumbai, where the idea of a new shutdown is resisting, also saw the highest peak of 9,108 infections.
This is what happened in the state in the last 24 hours.
> Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray maintained an online interaction with newspaper owners, publishers and distributors where he reiterated that a decision on the imposition of strict measures will be made soon, but did not confirm whether it will be a blockade or state restrictions.
> Thackeray hinted at a looming health crisis in the state on Friday. On Saturday, the CM said the government is considering whether all industrial-use oxygen supply can be diverted for medical use, as daily oxygen demand in Maharashtra has reached 700 metric tons versus the state’s production capacity. over 1200 metric tons.
In the highest jump in a day, Mumbai reports more than 9,000 new cases of Covid-19
> The Pune district, which has the highest number of active Covid-19 cases in the country, was subjected to a mini-lockdown starting Saturday. District restaurants will be closed for seven days and will only provide home delivery services. Pune District recorded a single-day peak of 10,873 cases on Saturday, while Pune City also recorded its highest level of 5,778 cases.
> Mumbai Airport has announced a fine of ₹1,000 in passengers who violated Covid-19 security protocols. This coincides with the notice of the DGCA (General Directorate of Civil Aviation) that asks all airports to penalize people who violate the Covid-19 rules.
> The city of Thane reported 1,482 new infections on Saturday and 2,853 new cases were reported in the city of Nagpur in the past 24 hours.
> With Saturday’s surge, active Covid-19 cases in the state reached 4.01,172.
> The state is also reporting the highest number of recoveries in the country. But the gap between daily infections and daily recoveries is still huge. Against 49,447 new infections on Saturday, there were 37,821 recoveries.
In his online interaction, as reported by PTI, the prime minister said that offices were asked to follow a staggered schedule after reopening so there would be less pressure on local trains and buses. But it didn’t happen, he said. “So it’s not that we didn’t try. Last year we sent teams to homes. It was possible because there was a lockdown. Even contact tracing of affected people has become difficult now,” he said.
(With contributions from the agency)
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