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Jayant Patil, Rajesh Tope take count of Covid-positive Maharashtra ministers to 24
On Friday, the state saw a further rise in the daily cases, as it clocked 6,112 patients, the highest single-day count, since November 27 (after 84 days), when 6,185 cases were recorded
Amid a marked resurgence of Covid-19 infections in Maharashtra in over a week, a number of the political leaders, including health minister Rajesh Tope, have been tested positive for the virus.
“I have tested positive for Covid-19. Though I am doing fine, I’ll follow the advice of the doctors. With all your blessings, I will defeat Covid-19 and be at your services soon. Those who have come in contact with me in the past few days must take all the precautions and get tested, if they develop any symptoms,” Tope said in a tweet on Thursday night.
The health minister is being treated at Fortis Hospital in Mulund under the supervision of Dr Rahul Pandit, who is also a member of state’s Covid-19 task force.
Apart from Tope, water resources minister Jayant Patil, food and drugs administration minister Dr Rajendra Shingne and minister of state for water resources Bachchu Kadu are currently undergoing treatment for Covid-19.
Besides, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentarian Raksha Khadse and former minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Eknath Khadse also tested positive for coronavirus. Eknath Khadse was found positive for the second time after he was infected with the virus in the last week of December. State Congress president Nana Patole has undergone a Covid-19 test after he developed flu-like symptoms. His test report is awaited, officials said.
On February 5, home minister Anil Deshmukh was tested positive for Covid-19.
Around 24 ministers from the ministerial council of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government were infected in the past 11 months.
On Friday, the state saw a further rise in the daily cases, as it clocked 6,112 patients, the highest single-day count, since November 27 (after 84 days), when 6,185 cases were recorded.
This has led to concern among the state authorities and the government indicated that lockdown restrictions could return if there’s a constant rise in the cases.
The spurt in daily infections is being seen since February 10, when over 3,000 cases were recorded.
To control the spread, many districts, including Mumbai, imposed restrictions. Yavatmal district has imposed curfew from Friday midnight, prohibiting the gathering of more than five people, among many other strict restrictions. The authorities of Amravati district decided to impose a complete lockdown on Sundays. Similarly, Akola also decided to impose a lockdown on Sundays and night curfew from Thursday onwards.
“These measures will be taken in targeted areas where the virulence of the virus is more. Hence, some more districts may follow them as chief minister Uddhav Thackeray directed the local bodies to take all the necessary steps to contain the spread. They have been asked to focus on the enforcement of standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the state to ease the lockdown restrictions in a gradual manner,” said a senior official, privy to the development.
Meanwhile, legislative Council chairman Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar wrote to the state government, requesting that the legislators be immunised, in the backdrop of the Budget session of the legislature starting from March 1.
