Nagpur’s Covid-19 tally rises by over 3,000 again, death toll nears 5,000

The district’s infection tally has now reached 221,997, while its active caseload is at 38,298. This represents a rise of more than 20,000 active cases in the last two weeks.

Maharashtra’s Nagpur, one of the worst Covid-19 affected districts in the state, recorded more than 3,000 new cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the last 24 hours, officials told news agency ANI on Monday. With this, its infection tally has risen to 221,997. However, the 3,177 fresh infections recorded by the district are comparatively less than some of the previous daily cases that Nagpur has seen in the last few days, including 4,095 on March 26, its highest since the beginning of the pandemic.

A deserted street in Nagpur during week-long lockdown

Nagpur also saw 2,600 more recoveries and 55 deaths in the last 24 hours, which have taken its recovered cases and death toll to 178,713 and 4,986 respectively. Active cases, meanwhile, are at 38,298.

Earlier this month, the Union ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) said that Nagpur, along with three other districts in Maharashtra, had the highest active Covid-19 caseload in the country. The other three districts mentioned by the ministry, in its press conference on March 16, were Pune, Mumbai and Thane. At the time, according to the ministry, Nagpur had 18,114 cases, behind Pune, and ahead of Mumbai, Thane and Nashik. Since then, the district’s active caseload has risen by more than 20,000 cases.

A week-long lockdown was imposed in Nagpur between March 15 and 21. Later, Maharashtra’s energy minister and the guardian minister of Nagpur, Nitin Raut announced that amid the rising Covid-19 cases, certain restrictions would continue to stay till March 31.

Maharashtra has been at the centre of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, which has also been reported across the country in the last month. In the last 24 hours, India recorded more than 68,000 new Covid-19 cases, as per the Union health ministry on Sunday, of which, around 60% or 40,414 were reported from the western state alone. The state also has the highest active caseload in the country.

In the wake of rising cases, a night curfew was announced for Maharashtra, which came into effect from Sunday night. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray also asked officials to start preparing for “another lockdown.”