On Saturday, Maharashtra recorded 13,659 new Covid-19 cases, which is the lowest count in 87 days. The total case count in Maharashtra stands at 5,819,224.
The lowest daily figures prior to this were registered on March 10, when the state recorded the same number of cases. After that, the figures kept increasing, indicating the severity of the second Covid-19 wave.
Meanwhile, Mumbai recorded 863 new Covid-19 cases and 29 deaths taking the tally to 709,857 and toll to 14,951. Pune recorded the second-highest (13,209) deaths.
Dr Subhash Salunke, an advisor to the Maharashtra government on Covid-19 management, attributed the decline to a host of measures such as imposing the lockdown as well as ramping up the entire medical infrastructure.
“The lockdown played a vital role in bringing down the transmission rates and now we are seeing the results. We took care to ramp up testing facilities and provide timely medication to Covid-19 patients,” said Dr Salunke.
Dr Wiqar Shaikh, professor of medicine, Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Hospital, however, warned that all these gains will be nullified if the government and citizens fail to take corrective steps.
“The government should not dismantle the Covid-19 centres like last year when the first wave subsided. In addition to it, the government needs to enforce Covid-appropriate behaviour and must not allow any leniency in this matter,” said Dr Shaikh.
{{/usCountry}}“The government should not dismantle the Covid-19 centres like last year when the first wave subsided. In addition to it, the government needs to enforce Covid-appropriate behaviour and must not allow any leniency in this matter,” said Dr Shaikh.
{{/usCountry}}“Citizens need to wear masks, observe social distancing and must not participate in mass gatherings or rallies. The third wave can be more severe if we remain causal and don’t adhere to these regulations,” warned Dr Shaikh.
A total of 240,088 tests were conducted across the state on Saturday. The death toll has reached 99,512 as 300 patients succumbed to the virus. On Saturday, 21,776 recoveries were recorded.
There were 188,027 active cases in Maharashtra on Saturday, with Pune leading the list with 22,280 active cases, followed by Kolhapur (18,130) and Mumbai (18,118).
Around 260 villages in Nashik district reported zero cases. However, despite the weekend lockdown, markets at Nashik remained open that resulted in crowding and violation of social distancing norms. Due to the surge in cases in Ratnagiri, a strict lockdown will be followed till June 9, and the situation is being monitored with the help of drones.