The Maharashtra government has warned of taking “strict actions” to implement coronavirus-related restrictions amid a rise in daily new cases in the last few days. However, the authorities are not yet thinking of imposing another lockdown, the Hindustan Times reported, quoting the state’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
“We will have to take strict action after talking to the chief minister if cases continue to rise,” Pawar said while speaking to reporters, according to News18.
Maharashtra registered 4,092 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday and 3,365 cases on Monday, making it the sixth consecutive day when over 3,000 cases were reported in the state, according to the Hindustan Times. On Monday, Maharashtra also topped Kerala to become the state with the highest number of cases after 42 days, News18 reported.
Factors like the resumption of local trains for general public, increased interaction among groups and non-compliance of coronavirus-related precautionary guidelines have led to the rise in cases, state officials told the Hindustan Times. About 35 lakh people have been travelling by suburban trains that run in Mumbai and neighbouring areas since local trains were opened for general public with restricted hours on February 1.
Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner in-charge of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, said that fresh restrictions will not be imposed if people cooperate with the authorities.
“If people cooperate with us then there would not be any need for fresh lockdown or restrictions,” he said, according to India Today. “But we have said from Day 1 that if the numbers rise with the resumption of local trains we will have to put in strict measures as well.”
In the wake of the surge in cases, BMC has started deploying mobile Covid-19 testing vans in some pockets of Dharavi area in Mumbai, fearing a possible resurgence in infections. It has also decided to keep its jumbo Covid-19 care centres open till March 31, according to News18.
Meanwhile, the state’s Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Monday said that the “3T formula” of tracing, testing and treatment will have to be followed to tackle the rise in number of cases. PTI reported. Speaking to reporters, Tope said the state government had managed to flatten the curve in the last one month as far as daily addition of cases was concerned, but a recent rise in numbers in Mumbai, Wardha and some other pockets was “alarming”.
India on Tuesday recorded 9,121 new coronavirus cases, taking its tally to 1,09,25,710, health ministry data showed. This was the fourth time this month when the daily infections fell below 10,000. Meanwhile, deaths rose by 81 to 1,55,813.
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