Maharashtra health minister hints at further relaxations for train travel

As Covid-19 cases continue to show a decline, state health minister Rajesh Tope hinted that further relaxations for train travel could be provided post-Diwali if cases continue to remain low

As Covid-19 cases continue to show a decline, state health minister Rajesh Tope hinted that further relaxations for train travel could be provided post-Diwali if cases continue to remain low. Maharashtra added 1,825 fresh infections on Wednesday, the fifth consecutive day of under 2,000 cases.

As Covid-19 cases continue to show a decline, state health minister Rajesh Tope hinted that further relaxations for train travel could be provided post-Diwali if cases continue to remain low. (HT PHOTO)

Currently, only people who are fully vaccinated are allowed to use the Mumbai suburban train services. The state government has been gradually easing the restrictions to prevent Covid-19 since mid-August. Recently, the state has decided to open up theatres and drama auditoriums with 50% occupancy from October 22, while on Tuesday, it also extended operational timings for shops and restaurants.

Tope said that additional categories of passengers could be allowed to use the Mumbai suburban train services if Covid-19 cases do not rise post-Diwali. “Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is monitoring the Covid situation minutely; he has been speaking to the state Covid task force and senior officials. I think, post-Diwali, if there are not many cases or a high positivity rate, the chief minister can think positively on this [the decision to allow entry to all on trains],” Tope told a TV channel.

It was speculated that the chief minister, who heads the disaster management department, would extend relaxation on train travel to people who have taken one shot of the vaccine to use suburban trains. However, the move was deferred till cases see a further decline, state officials said. There was also a fear that crowding could increase in trains during Diwali.

Mumbai, meanwhile, went above 400 cases after four days on Wednesday with 462 fresh infections. For the past four days, Mumbai was clocking 300 cases daily. Mumbai added four fatalities, taking its death toll to 16,192. Maharashtra added 21 deaths, pushing the death toll to 139,886.

The Maharashtra government extended its ‘Mission Kavach Kundal’, a campaign to boost its Covid-19 vaccination drive, up to Diwali. The campaign aims to push vaccination drive in the state, while prioritising the first dose for all citizens at the earliest. The 10-day campaign kicked off on October 8 with a daily target of 1.5 million doses a day.

“Mission Kavach Kundal, which was till Dussehra, has now been extended up to Diwali to carry our vaccinations on mission mode by all the districts and civic bodies. Vaccination is our saviour, so I appeal to the people who are yet to get vaccinated, must do so,” the minister said.

Tope said that vaccination is the “saviour” in the pandemic, and it has helped keep the third wave of Covid infections under control in other parts of the world. He added that with vaccinations, the state would be able to keep the impact of the possible third wave under check.

“Across the world, the third wave has come, but the intensity has been low and not as threatening with fewer serious cases and lower deaths. Vaccinations played a crucial role in that. If the third wave comes here, our focus remains on vaccination so that the number of cases is not more, and if they are, they aren’t critical cases; people don’t need to get hospitalised, and the need for medical oxygen is less,” Tope said.

The active cases in the state came down to 25,728 on Wednesday. A chunk of the active cases are from Pune, Mumbai, Thane and Ahmednagar districts. Eight of the 35 districts in Maharashtra currently have active cases in the single digits. These districts include Gadchiroli, Gondia, Bhandara, Wardha, Yavatamal, Washim, Dhule and Nandurbar.