For third day in a row, state reports more than 40k cases | Mumbai news - Hindustan Times
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For third day in a row, state reports more than 40k cases

Jan 09, 2022 10:27 PM IST

After the sharp reaction from gymnasium operators in the state, the state government revised its notification issued on Saturday to allow gymnasiums and beauty salons to operate at 50% of capacity

Mumbai After the sharp reaction from gymnasium operators in the state, the state government revised its notification issued on Saturday to allow the gymnasiums and beauty salons to operate at 50% of their capacity.

The state government warned with additional curbs if the crowding at the liquor shops and places of worship continued (Satish Bate/HT Photo)
The state government warned with additional curbs if the crowding at the liquor shops and places of worship continued (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

However, the state government warned with additional curbs if the crowding at the liquor shops and places of worship continued.

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The state reported 44,388 new infections, of which 19,474 were from Mumbai. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region, comprising nine big cities including Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivali, Navi Mumbai accounted for 33,299 of the daily caseload. Pune district clogged 6,483 new cases, including 886 in Pune and 4,065 in Pimpri-Chinchwad, followed by 926 in Nashik district.

Maharashtra also reported 207 Omicron infections on Sunday, taking the tally to 1216. Of the new cases, 40 were from Mumbai, 57 from Sangli, 22 from Pune city, 15 from Pimpri-Chinchwad, 21 from Nagpur district, 21 from Thane city. 454 Omicron infected patients have been discharged.

In a revised order, the state government clarified that beauty salons and gymnasiums should ensure that all staff members are vaccinated and people visiting them are also fully vaccinated. The use of masks at the gymnasium has also been made compulsory. The activities which need the removal of the masks at the beauty salons have been prohibited.

On Saturday, in the wake of the daily caseload hovering around 40,000 for the last few days, the state had imposed certain curbs by issuing a notification. Stepping out between 11 pm and 5 pm has been prohibited, while crowding at public places between 5 am and 11 pm has also been banned.

State health minister Rajesh Tope said that the government will gradually bring curbs on places of worship and liquor shops to avoid crowding. “There will be curbs imposed at liquor shops or the places of worship if the crowding at these places increases. We have not imposed any curbs on temples and other religious places, but we expect the crowding to be restricted to 40 to 50 people. If these norms are not adhered to, there could be more curbs,” he said.

Tope said that though Covid cases are on the rise, the rate of hospitalisation is low and the consumption of oxygen was also under control. “Curbing crowding at public places is the key to containing the spread of the virus. The curbs imposed on Saturday are with the intention to arrest the rise in the number of cases,” he said.

The state tally now stands at 69,20,044, while the death toll has touched 1,41,639 after the addition of 12 fresh deaths on Sunday. Dr Avinash Supe, head of the state-appointed death audit committee and former dean of KEM Hospital said that in the later stage, the smaller cities and rural parts of the state may witness a surge.

“Currently, Mumbai and other big cities are contributing to most of the daily caseload on the similar trend witnessed during the first and second wave. By January 26, the Mumbai cases will see a downward trend and by February 15, there will be a significant reduction. Other parts of the state including smaller cities and rural parts will see a rise in the next two to four weeks. As such, the peak and the downward trend in Maharashtra will take little longer to come,” he said.

Dr Supe further said that though the death rate is low, it may rise in the next two weeks. “It would not be as high as reported during the second wave, but the numbers will double in next few days. Most of the deaths are among the non-vaccinated, comorbid and elderly patients,” he said.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Surendra P Gangan is Senior Assistant Editor with political bureau of Hindustan Times’ Mumbai Edition. He covers state politics and Maharashtra government’s administrative stories. Reports on the developments in finances, agriculture, social sectors among others.

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