E-Paper
5 things to know about Maharashtra’s worrying Covid-19 situation
A fresh surge in Covid-19 cases in Mumbai prompted the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to issue updated guidelines on Thursday.
The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) situation in Maharashtra has worsened in the past few days. According to the daily bulletin by the health department, the state reported 5,427 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, the highest single-day infection tally this year. In the wake of rising Covid-19 cases, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and other state officials have even warned of another lockdown if people don’t abide by social distancing norms recommended by the health authorities. A fresh surge in Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra’s capital Mumbai prompted the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to issue updated Covid-19 guidelines.
Here are 5 things to know about Maharashtra’s Covid-19 situation:
Maharashtra has, so far, reported a total of more than 2,081,520 Covid-19 cases and at least 51,669 related deaths. As of Thursday evening, as many as 15,521,198 samples have been tested of which 65,930 samples were tested in the last 24 hours.
Maharashtra chief secretary Sanjay Kumar has directed district collectors of Amaravati, Akola and Yavatmal to declare containment zones in areas with a high number of Covid-19 patients. The schools and colleges in Yavatmal will stay closed till February 28, while restaurant and marriage halls have been allowed to operate at a maximum capacity of 50 per cent.
Read | ‘Won’t let Covid-19 get better of Mumbai’: BMC updates norms to tackle pandemic
Mumbai alone reported 736 new Covid-19 infections on Thursday and many believe the resumption of local train services has contributed to the rise in cases. Mumbai’s total death toll related to the viral infection stands at 11,432 as the city, on Thursday, added four fresh fatalities to the list.
In order to minimise the virus transmission in local trains of Mumbai, the BMC has decided to appoint 300 marshals to take action against those travelling without face masks. Police personnel have also been authorised to impose fine on residents those are found roaming without masks.
The variants of concern (VOC) detected in several countries with higher transmissibility and reduced vaccine efficacy prompted the BMC to announce a compulsory 7-day institutional quarantine for travellers arriving from Brazil, where P.1 is dominant.
