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Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara under stricter lockdown as cases increase
PUNE In view of the increasing number of Covid cases and the subsequent strain on the health infrastructure, three districts in Western Maharashtra - Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara - will go under a stricter lockdown from May 5
PUNE In view of the increasing number of Covid cases and the subsequent strain on the health infrastructure, three districts in Western Maharashtra - Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara - will go under a stricter lockdown from May 5.
Under this lockdown, only milk and vegetable supply will be allowed.
In Pune district, the local administration announced additional curbs from Tuesday in Baramati tehsil, where many villages have become hotspots.
Kolhapur has so far seen 70,844 total cases of which 9,592 are active patients as on May 3, while total fatalities stood at 2,363.
In Sangli, 79,911 people contracted virus since last year, of which 13,861 are active patients, while 2,388 have succumbed to the virus.
In Satara, progressive positive count for Covid cases reached 1.98 lakh, of which 23,100 are active, with 2,384 fatalities
In Kolhapur, while the number of cases reduced in the past two days, there is a shortage of oxygen and Remdesivir, which prompted guardian minister Satej Patil to announce the lockdown from May 5.
Patil said “If the cases rise in the coming days, more oxygen will be needed. Strict lockdown will be imposed in the district from 11 am to break the chain of infection.”
Besides Kolhapur, guardian minister of Sangli, Jayant Patil, also announced a complete lockdown in the district for eight days, starting Wednesday.
“At this point, lives are more important than livelihood. Therefore, I urge everyone to follow lockdown norms and not step out,” said Patil.
In Satara, fresh restrictions came into being from Tuesday, as cases spiked. Except for milk, and home delivery of food and medical services, everything will be closed.
Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said that while cases are on the decline in many cities, including Mumbai and Pune, some districts are showing a surge. “To make sure Covid doesn’t spread further, the local administration has decided to impose a stricter lockdown in Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara. There will be additional restrictions in these places,” said Tope, speaking to reporters in Mumbai.
The state is already under curbs, which according to the order, will last till May 15.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra chief secretary Sitaram Kunte has written to the Union cabinet secretary to enhance liquid oxygen allocation to Maharashtra, as 16 districts in the state are seeing a continuous growth in Covid cases.
Kunte in his letter mentioned that the state continues to face the onslaught of the second wave of the Covid pandemic, with a current active caseload of 6,63,758, of which 78,884 cases admitted are on medical oxygen, including 24,787 in ICUs.
The letter further stated that 17 Maharashtra districts -- Palghar, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Solapur, Satara, Nandurbar, Beed, Parbhani, Hingoli, Amravati, Buldhana, Wardha, Gadchiroli and Chandrapur -- are showing a continuous growth of active Covid cases, because of which the oxygen requirement is also increasing.
