A day after Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray warned of possible restrictions to contain the spread of the coronavirus, State Health Minister Rajesh Tope and his cabinet colleagues said that strict measures could be put in place. The health minister said there would be no shutdown in the state, but restrictions could be re-imposed to reduce overcrowding in public places and ensure that people wear masks.
Tope said people have become “informal” in their attitude towards wearing masks and maintaining social distancing, which is dangerous given that there could be another wave by the end of December.
Meanwhile, after five days in a row of more than 5,000 new cases daily, Maharashtra again reported below the 5,000 mark on Monday with 4,153 new infections in the state. The state also posted its lowest single-day death toll since May 3 (204 days) with 30 deaths. The total case count in the state rose to 1,784,361, while the death toll rose to 46,653. The number of active cases in the state saw a marginal increase from Sunday’s count from 81,512 to 81,902 on Monday.
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“We will have to take some strict measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The relaxations that we had given will have to be hardened again with curbs to maintain social distancing in public places. Currently, we do not see people with masks and no social distancing is maintained. There is a carefree attitude among the people and for this we will have to take some strict measures. Only then can we save ourselves from the coronavirus, “said Tope.
The minister added that the CM and key ministers will meet in a couple of days to decide on the restrictions. “We have to learn from what is happening around the world and in the country. We will meet Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Senior Deputy Minister Ajit dada [Pawar] in a day or two and implement measures to keep the spread contained. There is no need to panic. We are prepared to face the increase in cases, ”he said, adding that people will have to be careful for the next two months.
The state could introduce measures such as night curfews to curb the movement of people, senior bureaucrats said. “Night curfews are an option other states have adopted. There are other measures as well, such as making interdistrict travel tighter, but that would depend on how the increase is. Until now, it is not being discussed, ”said the bureaucrat, requesting anonymity.
Tope said that the tests had been reduced during Diwali, but now it has recovered and therefore there are more cases. He further said that there is no need to panic, but that people must remain vigilant.
Another state minister, Anil Parab, said Thackeray is closely monitoring the Covid-19 situation in the state. He added that the administration will study the trajectory of the cases in the next week and then the government will make a decision. “The state government does not want to impose the lockdown yet, but if the situation gets out of control, some tough decisions will have to be made… If there is another wave, it has ordered all officials to maintain the Covid care infrastructure and temporary hospitals … The government will study the situation for the next eight days and then make a decision.
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Earlier in the day, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Wadettiwar said that strict measures are required to ultimately save lives: “If necessary, in the next eight days, after careful study, we will decide if necessary. a total closure or imposition of curbs or addition of new conditions. Those steps will have to be taken because ultimately lives matter. “
Mumbai, meanwhile, reported 800 new cases, bringing the city’s bill to 276,514. Mumbai reported 14 deaths, bringing the death toll in the city to 10,689. Active cases in Mumbai reached 12,707, a 259 increase from Sunday’s tally. Mumbai contributed almost 20% of the cases registered by the state.
The city of Pune reported 214 new cases, while the rural area of Pune reported 164 new cases. Pimpri-Chinchwad reported 150 recent infections. The Pune district remained at the top with the highest number of active cases with 17,545. Nashik District reported 323, while Nagpur District reported 314 new cases.
So far, the state has tested 1,02,81,543 samples and has an overall positivity rate of 17.35%. In the last 24 hours, 68517 samples were analyzed. Currently, 517,711 people are in home quarantine and 6,524 people are in institutional quarantine.
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