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Maharashtra added over 150,000 Covid-19 cases in first eight days of September
State government officials said more cases are being reported in Tier-II cities and in rural areas while Mumbai and other urban areas are also continuing to report a significant number of Covid-19 cases
Maharashtra, which is reporting a spike in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases over the past week, has added 151,321 new cases to its tally in the first eight days of September.
The state’s active viral case load has increased by nearly 50,000 during this period.
State government officials said more Covid-19 cases are being reported in Tier-II cities and in rural areas in Maharashtra while Mumbai and other urban areas are also continuing to report a significant number of Covid-19 cases.
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State health department officials attributed the spike in Covid-19 cases to the gradual easing of lockdown restrictions that were enforced since March-end to contain the spread of the contagion. There has been a rise in intra-state travel, reopening of offices etc; that have led to a surge in Covid-19 cases, officials said.
The state government had allowed the public to travel to Konkan districts of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg from August 12 --- 10 days before the annual Ganpati festival.
These districts have reported a spike in cases following the state government’s relaxation measures. Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts have reported a 126% and 274% uptick, respectively, in Covid-19 cases.
Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg had reported 2,388 and 534 cases, respectively, until August 12. While the corresponding figures in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts jumped to 5,397 and 2,001, respectively, by September 8.
Maharashtra on Tuesday reported 20,131 new cases, as its tally rose to 943,772.The death toll stands at 27,407, including 380 fresh deaths, said a state health department official.
The Mumbai division, which consists of Mumbai city and its satellite towns, reported 3,868 new cases and the total count rose to 369,968. The division has reported 13,469 Covid-19-related deaths to date.
Pune district is still a hot spot, as it added 3,967 new cases on Tuesday. Pune city reported 1,711 new cases and 35 fresh fatalities on Tuesday. The total cases and death toll in Pune city is 116,951 and 2,817, respectively, the official added.
