Central team to visit Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana to chalk out new Covid management plan

The Centre will send a team of experts to three big states — Maharashtra, Gujarat and Telangana — that have emerged as key concerns in the Centre’s Covid-19 management plan.

The Centre will send a team of experts to three big states — Maharashtra, Gujarat and Telangana — that have emerged as key concerns in the Centre’s Covid-19 management plan.

The team will visit Maharashtra on Friday, Gujarat on Saturday and spend the next two days in Telangana. India’s worst-affected state, Maharashtra, is reporting an average of 3,500 new cases and analysts believe it will soon become the first state with 1.5 lakh Covid-19 cases. (File photo for representation)

The team will visit Maharashtra on Friday, Gujarat on Saturday and spend the next two days in Telangana. India’s worst-affected state, Maharashtra, is reporting an average of 3,500 new cases and analysts believe it will soon become the first state with 1.5 lakh Covid-19 cases. The state’s total cases till Wednesday stood at 1,42,900.

While Maharashtra’s silver lining is that the case doubling rate now stands at 23 days, its fatality rate however is 3.7 — much higher than the national average.

Unlike the previous tour, the national team of experts will not concentrate on Mumbai, but tour the districts of Pune, Thane and Palghar. “These three districts have seen a sudden rise in the number of cases. The central team will assist in plugging the loopholes and help the state formulate new strategies, if required,” said an official.

After Maharashtra, the team will go to Gujarat and will tour Ahmedabad, among other areas. According to the government data, Gujarat has been reporting about 530 new cases everyday and has a fatality rate of 6%. “Ahmedabad is a cause for concern,” another official said.

Meanwhile, Telangana, which tested at a slow pace initially, has now picked up the testing rate. The state now reports an average of 550 cases per day, but has the quickest doubling rate among the three states.

“Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra are getting doubled in 23 days, while Gujarat takes 33 days for cases to double. However, in Telangana, cases are doubling in just 8.5 days,” said another official.

The Centre has told all the states to not shy away from reporting high Covid-19 figures, but the implementation of health norms, including social distance, proper sealing of containment zones, use of masks, should be proper.