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Health minister Rajesh Tope hints return of curbs, says CM to hold meeting in two days
Tope, who was speaking to reporters in his hometown Jalna, on Monday, said the chief minister will be holding a meeting in the next two days to discuss the possible restrictions.
A day after chief minister Uddhav Thackeray warned of another lockdown with reports of residents flouting Covid prevention norms, health minister Rajesh Tope on Monday hinted that certain Covid-19 restrictions may return.
During his visit to Pune on Sunday, deputy CM Ajit Pawar had said, “The government is monitoring the rise in Covid cases and a decision can be taken about lockdown after reviewing the situation in 8-10 days.”
Tope, who was speaking to reporters in his hometown Jalna, on Monday, said the chief minister will be holding a meeting in the next two days to discuss the possible restrictions.
Hours after Tope’s remarks, the state government made reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test compulsory for travellers coming to the state from Delhi, Rajasthan, Goa and Gujarat by air or train. The passengers, according to the state notification issued by chief secretary Sanjay Kumar, will have to carry “negative” results of the RT-PCR test on landing in Maharashtra.
Besides restrictions on passengers, Tope hinted that the number of those attending wedding needs to be brought down from existing 200.
“Given the rise in the number of cases, we may have to take firm steps if needed. If may be complete lockdown, but certain restrictions can be brought back such as bringing down the number of those attending weddings and other public events. The decision is expected in a meeting convened by the CM in the next two days,” he said.
The minister also hinted about increasing the amount of fine from those not wearing masks on the lines of Delhi, which recently hiked mask violation fine from Rs 500 to Rs 2,000.
His remarks came against the backdrop of Maharashtra’s Covid tally steadily surpassing the 5,000-mark post Diwali. The rising cases also prompted Thackeray to warn citizens to follow discipline and safety measures. In his address on Sunday, Thackeray said that indiscipline could not just lead to the possible second wave but “tsunami” of infection spread.
Within Maharashtra, Pune, along with Mumbai, has been reporting high number of cases as a large number of people came out on streets during the festive season. Pune city’s positivity rate has gone up from below 10 per cent before Diwali to close to 13 per cent in the week after Diwali, an indication of the spread of the virus. Although the civic body has been increasing its testing numbers, in the week after Diwali the city saw a drastic rise in the number of cases in comparison to tests conducted by the civic body.
Echoing similar views that of Tope, minister for rehabilitation Vijay Wadettiwar said that certain restrictions are needed in the state considering the spread of the virus in the past few days. “We will have to observe the situation in the next eight days and then take a call,” said Wadettiwar while speaking in Mumbai.
