With 778 new cases, Maharashtra Covid infections reach 6,427

Mumbai, which accounts for roughly two-thirds of all infections in the state, logged 522 new cases and its tally reached 4,205. This is the first time that the state capital has seen a rise of more than 500 cases in a day.

Maharashtra recorded its highest one-day jump in the number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients on Thursday with 778 new infections, taking the total cases in the state worst hit by the virus to 6,427. The number of fatalities in the state stood at 283 with 14 deaths on Thursday.

Doctors take samples of media personnel in Mumbai. (ANI)

Mumbai, which accounts for roughly two-thirds of all infections in the state, logged 522 new cases and its tally reached 4,205. This is the first time that the state capital has seen a rise of more than 500 cases in a day.

A total of 122 cases were from the other parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) — Thane, Mira-Bhayander, Kalyan-Dombivli, Palghar, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Panvel, among others. Mumbai recorded six deaths, taking its toll to 167, while five were reported in Pune, and one each in Navi Mumbai, Nandurbar and Dhule.

The spike came on a day chief minister Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting with two inter-ministerial central teams (IMCTs), who are visiting Mumbai and Pune to see the measures taken by the state government, and assured the implementation of measures suggested by the central experts.

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Officials said the central teams pressed for more institutional quarantine facilities in slums; shifting of people from Dharavi, which has 214 cases, into quarantine facilities; ramping up testing, operationalising private clinics and hospitals for non-Covid-19 patients, among others. The state government has also been told to focus on the hotspots in Mumbai, the officials added, on condition of anonymity.

Manoj Joshi, who headed the central team, told HT, “After our visit to various parts of Mumbai, we had a meeting with Maharashtra CM and the officials. We will submit our report on the assessment to the Central government.”

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner Praveen Pardeshi said in the meeting that the containment zones in non-slum areas in Mumbai were rapidly reducing. Mumbai currently has 930 containment zones, including 447 in non-slum areas. Pardeshi said the tests in Dharavi, which houses roughly 800,000 people, have been increased.

Thackeray reiterated the need of more personal protective equipment (PPE) kits from the Centre and directed state authorities to look into complaints of hardships by non-Covid patients. “Private clinics and hospitals should be directed to operate for non-Covid patients. The general public should be made aware about non-Covid hospitals and fever clinics,” he said.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar wrote to railway minister Piyush Goyal, seeking special trains to take migrant workers home after the lockdown ends.

In the letter, the deputy CM said migrant workers, who have been staying at shelter camps, will likely take to the streets on May 3, when the second phase of the lockdown is scheduled to end. “This could lead to a law-and-order problem, like it happened in Bandra in Mumbai on the last day of the first lockdown,” read the letter, referring to an incident on April 14, when nearly 1,000 labourers gathered outside a railway station in Bandra to go back to their home states.