Maharashtra records 67,013 new Covid-19 cases; Mumbai continues downward trend and adds 7,367 cases to its tally

As many as 568 people succumbed to the disease in Maharashtra on Thursday. This is the second consecutive day the daily death figures were at 568.

Maharashtra on Thursday registered 67,013 new cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) taking the caseload to over 4.09 million, according to the state health department’s bulletin. As many as 568 people succumbed to the disease on Thursday. This is the second consecutive day the daily death figures were at 568. Maharashtra’s total cases now include 62,479 deaths, 3,330,747 recoveries and nearly 700,000 active cases, the bulletin showed.

Maharashtra's total cases now include 62,479 deaths, 3,330,747 recoveries and nearly 700,000 active cases, the bulletin showed.(File photo)

The capital city Mumbai, however, continued to report a downward trend in its daily Covid-19 disease cases at 7,367 which pushed the city’s caseload to 609,080. Seventy-five people died on Thursday and total deaths across Mumbai climbed to 12,583.

As the cases and deaths in Maharashtra have been spiraling, it was expected the state will be going into complete lockdown mode as the same was earlier hinted by health minister Rajesh Tope and several other ministers in the cabinet.

However, the Maha-Vikas Aghadi led government on Wednesday night came up with new stringent regulations to curb the spread of the Covid-19 disease in Maharashtra. These include restrictions on inter-city and inter-district travel, office attendance and marriages.

Issuing an order, the government said inter-city and inter-district travel is only permitted for essential services, medical emergencies and funerals. Only 25 people are allowed to attend marriages and the function cannot extend beyond two hours.

Offices run by central, states and local governments can function with 15 per cent attendance but those providing emergency services for Covid-19 management are exempted. All other government and private offices have to function with 15 per cent attendance or five people- whichever is more, the order said.

As Maharashtra is suffering from an acute shortage of oxygen supplies, hospital beds and essential drugs such as Remdesivir, the Bombay High Court on Thursday directed the Centre and the state government to file their replies by May 4 on the management of all these resources to fight the pandemic.

A bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice GS Kulkarni told the Maharashtra government that not a single person should be denied a Covid-19 test on account of the lack of a valid doctor’s prescription for the same, according to news agency PTI.