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Lockdown in Maharashtra unlikely, but Covid-related curbs may be back, says health minister Rajesh Tope
Tope said people have become “casual” in their attitude towards wearing masks and maintaining social distancing, which is dangerous, given there could be another wave by December-end.
A day after Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray warned of possible curbs to contain the spread of coronavirus, state health minister Rajesh Tope and his cabinet colleagues said that strict measures could be put in place. The health minister said that there would not be a lockdown in the state but restrictions may be reimposed to reduce crowding in public places and ensure masks will be worn by people.
Tope said people have become “casual” in their attitude towards wearing masks and maintaining social distancing, which is dangerous, given there could be another wave by December-end.
Meanwhile, after five straight days of over 5,000 fresh cases daily, Maharashtra once again reported below the 5,000-mark on Monday with 4,153 fresh infections in the state. The state also recorded its lowest single-day death toll since May 3 (204 days) at 30 fatalities. The total cases count in the state rose to 1,784,361, while the death toll climbed to 46,653. The active caseload in the state saw a marginal increase from Sunday’s count of 81,512 to 81,902 on Monday.
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“We will have to take some strict measures to contain the spread of coronavirus. The relaxations that we had given will have to again be tightened with some curbs to maintain social distancing in public places. Currently, we do not see people wearing masks and no social distancing maintained. There is a casual attitude among people and therefore we will have to take some strict measures. Only then can we save ourselves from coronavirus,” Tope said.
The minister added that the CM and key ministers will meet in a couple of days to decide on restrictions. “We have to learn from what is happening around the world and in the country. We will meet chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and deputy chief minister Ajit dada [Pawar] in a day or two and implement measures to keep the spread contained. There is no need to panic. We are prepared to tackle the surge in cases,” he said, adding that people will have to remain careful for the next two months.
The state could introduce measures such as night curfews to curb the movement of people, senior bureaucrats said. “Night curfews are an option, which other states have adopted. Other measures such as making interdistrict travel tighter are also there, but that would depend on how the surge is. So far, it is not being discussed,” the bureaucrat said, requesting anonymity.
Tope said the testing had reduced during Diwali, but it has now picked up and therefore, there are more cases. He further said that there is no need to panic, but people should remain alert.
Another state minister Anil Parab said that Thackeray keeps a close eye on the Covid-19 situation in the state. He added that the administration will study the trajectory of cases in the next week and then the government will make a decision. “The state government still does not want to impose lockdown, but if the situation goes out of hand, some tough decisions will have to be taken… If there is another wave, he has directed all officials to maintain the Covid care infrastructure and temporary hospitals… The government will study the situation for the next eight days and then arrive at a decision.
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Earlier in the day, relief and rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar said that strict measures are required to save lives ultimately, “If needed, in the next eight days, after careful study, we will decide whether there is a need for a complete lockdown or imposition of curbs or addition of new conditions. Such measures will have to be taken because ultimately, lives are important.”
Mumbai, meanwhile, reported 800 fresh cases, pushing the city’s tally to 276,514. Mumbai reported 14 fatalities, taking the death toll in the city to 10,689. The active cases in Mumbai reached 12,707--an increase by 259 from Sunday’s tally. Mumbai contributed nearly 20% of the cases recorded by the state.
Pune city reported 214 new cases, while rural Pune reported 164 new cases. Pimpri-Chinchwad reported 150 fresh infections. Pune district continued to remain on the top with highest the highest number of active cases at 17,545. Nashik district reported 323, while Nagpur district reported 314 fresh cases.
The state has so far tested 1,02,81,543 samples and has an overall positivity rate of 17.35%. In the last 24 hours, 68517 samples were tested. Currently, 517,711 people are in home quarantine and 6,524 people are in institutional quarantine.
