Maharashtra on Monday registered 2,026 fresh Covid-19 infections, lowest in eight months, taking the tally to 6,562,514. This is Maharashtra’s lowest single-day count since February 2, when it logged 1,927 new Covid cases. On Monday, Maharashtra also reported 26 deaths caused by the disease. Mumbai, meanwhile, reported 339 new cases, taking the city’s tally to 745,652, as per official data.
The lower daily count on Monday is also due to fewer tests conducted due to the weekend. However, state health department officials said the state was witnessing a downward trend in infections and will see around 2,500-3,000 cases in the coming days. In the past 24 hours, the state tested 115,450 samples, with a positivity rate of 1.75%.
The active caseload in the state dropped to 33,637 on Monday, with 5,389 people getting discharged. Nearly 69% of the state’s active cases are from four districts of Pune, Mumbai, Ahmednagar, and Thane. According to the state health department’s data, Pune had 8,839 (26.27%) of the total active cases in the state, followed by Mumbai’s 6,198 (18.42%), Ahmednagar’s 4,162 (12.37%) and Thane’s 3,848 (11.43%).
As the schools reopened across the state from Monday, state health minister Rajesh Tope said that school management must follow “self-discipline” and ensure safety of students. He said Covid protocol must be followed to the fullest in schools to keep the students safe. “Schools have been allowed to restart after one-and-a-half years. The zilla parishad administration should also ensure protocol adherence. Parents and school management also need to be more vigilant. It should be noted that self-discipline is one of the important issues in tackling the pandemic,” Tope said
Tope further said that under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) programme, schools will be visited regularly to see if they are complying with the protocols. “Under the same programme, a team of doctors is expected to inspect each school. Now, with Covid-19, if anyone is experiencing any symptoms, the RBKS team needs to take immediate action,” the minister said.