Maharashtra stops home isolation in 18 districts with high Covid positivity rate

According to the health department’s data, out of the total 36 districts in Maharashtra-- Ratnagiri, Osmanabad, Beed, Hingoli, Akola, Amravati, Thane, Sangli, Gadchiroli, Wardha, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Latur, Satara, Sindhudurg, Raigad, Pune and Kolhapur-- have above-average positivity rates, news agency PTI reported.

Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said on Tuesday that patients of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) belonging to 18 districts of the state which have a high positivity rate will no longer be allowed home isolation and will be admitted to Covid care centres. Home isolation is typically suggested for those patients of Covid-19 which are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms.

Maharashtra- which was once the worst affected region due to the pandemic in India- has seen a significant drop in daily cases and deaths in the recent weeks. (HT file photo)

According to the health department’s data, out of the total 36 districts in Maharashtra-- Ratnagiri, Osmanabad, Beed, Hingoli, Akola, Amravati, Thane, Sangli, Gadchiroli, Wardha, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Latur, Satara, Sindhudurg, Raigad, Pune and Kolhapur-- have above-average positivity rates, news agency PTI reported.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Tope said home isolation will be completely stopped in these districts and the district collectors have been instructed to set up more Covid care centres in their respective regions.

As rural areas across India have also been impacted under the infectious second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the Maharashtra health minister said the collectors of these aforementioned 18 districts will use funds from the premium collected on auction of minor minerals to set up Covid care centres in villages, PTI further reported.

Maharashtra- which was once the worst affected region due to the pandemic in India- has seen a significant drop in daily cases and deaths in the recent weeks. On Monday, the state recorded another low of 22,122 new cases and 361 more deaths. This is the fifth consecutive day that the new infections remained below the 30,000-mark. Nearly 5.2 million have recovered from Covid-19 in Maharashtra so far and the recovery rate has climbed to 93%.

However, the state is currently grappling with a huge spike in the cases of Mucormycosis or black fungus. Health minister Tope said on Tuesday that 2,245 people have been infected with the fatal disease so far and the state government has classified Mucormycosis as a notified disease.

(With PTI inputs)