Maha jumps from 1,000 virus cases to 2,000 in six days

Maharashtra doubled its tally from 1,000 to 2,000 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in six days as it recorded its biggest 24-hour jump in cases with 352 more

Maharashtra doubled its tally from 1,000 to 2,000 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in six days as it recorded its biggest 24-hour jump in cases with 352 more patients on Monday, taking the number of infected people in the state to 2,334. The state recorded 11 deaths on Monday, the health department said, taking the toll to 160.

HT Image

The Maharashtra government on Monday also officially extended the lockdown, which was to end at midnight on April 14, till April 30. On Saturday, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had already said the state would extend the lockdown. The state government is also looking at allowing micro-, small- and medium- enterprises (MSMEs) to start operations in districts that are not affected or less affected by the outbreak. A proposal for allowing industries is being prepared by the state industries department. However, the state has not taken a call on colour-coding districts based on the severity of cases and relaxing curbs in regions that are not much affected.

Of Monday’s cases, Mumbai recorded 242 alone, taking the city’s tally to 1,540. Besides Mumbai, 39 cases were recorded in Pune; 14 in Malegaon; 11 in Nagpur; nine in Thane; seven in Mira-Bhayander; six in Pimpri-Chinchwad; five in Vasai-Virar; four each in Aurangabad, Buldhana and Kalyan-Dombivli; one each in Ahmednagar, Dhule, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, Panvel, Raigad and Yavatmal. Of the 11 deaths in Maharashtra, nine were in Mumbai and one each in Pune and Mira-Bhayander.

State health commissioner Anup Kumar Yadav said the coronavirus spread is not “exponential” and is under control. “We are still in stage two of transmission. The spread is now in clusters, but it is not exponential. Our cluster containment plans are showing results and it is not going out of control. Any infectious disease has a growth pattern. One is the way it is growing now, and the other is it growing exponentially, which is seen in some other countries. We are confident that the measures we have taken at an early stage are well-placed; it is responding well. So it should not go out of control,” Yadav said.

According to Yadav, the state is conducting an average of 3,000 coronavirus tests daily, and he attributed the increasing number of cases to aggressive testing too. The state government, he said, is now awaiting antibody test kits from the Centre to carry out “rapid testing”. “We are waiting for the kits. It would be first used by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). We do not plan to use it elsewhere in the state. Besides, we are also awaiting the Centre’s nod for pool testing permission, which the state had sought,” he said.

Malegaon in Nashik district has seen a surge in the number of coronavirus cases. On Monday, 14 cases were reported from the area, taking the tally to 29. It is being looked at as another cluster where the spread had spiked. The district authorities in conjunction with the municipal council are looking at demarcating containment areas in Malegaon.

Meanwhile, the state government is considering allowing industrial operations across the state except for areas of Mumbai and Pune, which has a high number of coronavirus case. State industries minister Subhash Desai held a review meeting on Monday and had directed the department to submit a proposal on where the MSME and other industries can be reopened.

“Excluding the areas of Mumbai and Pune, which has a high number of Covid-19 cases, a proposal should be prepared to allow industries to start their operations with certain restrictions in the rest of the districts of the state,” said Desai, in a statement.

Desai further asked the department to give priority to food processing units that would provide relief to farmers. These units would also provide employment to labourers, said Desai, adding that all these things will be put before the chief minister for approval.

Senior state government officials said the state has so far not decided to relax lockdown measures in the areas that are less affected by the outbreak. Senior officials also added that no decision on colour-coding districts has been taken so far. Thackeray held a meeting with divisional commissioners and senior police officials on Monday to take stock of the situation.

On the lockdown extension, a notification issued by chief secretary Ajoy Mehta on Monday read “It is expedient to take measures further to contain the spread of coronavirus, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred under section 2 of the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 the state government directs that the lockdown orders shall now be extended up to and inclusive of April 30, 2020.”

Officials said that the rising numbers of cases have forced the state government to extend lockdown till April 30 to prevent the state from slipping in to phase three — community spread — of Covid-19 outbreak.

“It was necessary to extend the lockdown period as the state has been the worst-hit by the pandemic and more than a hundred cases are coming per day for more than a week. The spread can be arrested only with the help of a lockdown,” said a senior official requesting anonymity.

“We are planning to give relaxations in areas that are not affected or have minimal cases. We have advised to allow to start industries with conditions such as they will have to accommodate workforce if not at the work place, then somewhere near the workstation so that workers won’t have to commute and social distancing can be maintained,” said a senior official, requesting anonymity.

There won’t be any relaxations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Pune Metropolitan Region, he added.