Maharashtra, the epicentre of the new surge of coronavirus cases, on Monday recorded 15,051 new infections, pushing the state’s overall tally to 23,29,464. While this was slightly lower than the 16,620 cases registered a day before, it was still the highest anywhere in the country.
The toll rose by 48 to 52,909. More than 21.44 lakh people have recovered from the disease so far, even as active cases climbed to 1,30,547, the data from the state department showed.
The city of Mumbai also witnessed a slight reduction in cases as 1,712 new daily infections were recorded, against Sunday’s case count of 1,963. The tally rose to 3,45,659, while four new deaths pushed the toll to 11,535.
No restrictions have been imposed in the state capital so far. However, Mumbai’s Mayor Kishori Pednekar said that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the state authorities will review the situation over the next few days, following which a night curfew may be announced, according to the Hindustan Times.
Nagpur district in Maharashtra locked down on Monday till March 21, for the first time since nationwide curbs were lifted in June. The district reported 2,094 new infections, taking its overall count to 1.51 lakh.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope warned that a lockdown will be imposed in other districts, which are reporting a high number of coronavirus disease cases, if the situation there does not improve, the Hindustan Times reported.
He added that the government was strictly ensuring that all precautionary measures were followed in the state. “Around 20 lakh people in Mumbai have been fined for not following Covid norms,” Tope said.
Earlier in the day, the Centre said that Maharashtra alone accounted for 63.21% of the daily new cases. “It is followed by Kerala with 1,792 while Punjab reported 1,492 new cases,” the government added.
Meanwhile, Delhi too has been reporting a steady rise in infections over the last two weeks, with health authorities cautioning residents against any slackening of protective measures. On Monday, the city recorded 368 new infections, taking its count to 6,44,064. The toll rose by three to 10,944.
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