On a day Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asked officials to prepare a plan for implementation of a lockdown which will have a minimum impact on the economy, the state registered its highest-ever daily rise in COVID-19 cases. As many as 40,414 cases were reported from Maharashtra on Sunday. The state also witnessed 108 deaths in the past 24 hours.
On Saturday, the state had reported 35,726 new cases and 166 deaths.
In fact, the members of state COVID-19 task force, recommending a lockdown, had expressed apprehension that the state might report 40,000 fresh cases in the next 24 hours.
With this, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state reached 2,713,875 and the death toll touched 54,181.
Mumbai too reported its highest rise with 6,923 new infections, on Sunday. At 73, Dharavi slum cluster reported the highest number of new cases in a day, taking the count of cases to 4,770. With eight more persons succumbing to the viral infection, the count of fatalities in Mumbai rose to 11,649.
Lockdown imminent?
Maharashtra has seen a huge rise in coronavirus positive cases over the last week. In the wake of the increased caseload, the chief minister asked officials to prepare a detailed plan for implementation of a lockdown which will have a minimum impact on the economy of the state. "There should not be any kind of confusion among the people once a lockdown is announced," the CM is quoted as saying.
The CM also directed officials to ensure sufficient supply of foodgrains, medicines and all types of medical services to address the challenge of the pandemic.
The health department, meanwhile, has blamed the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases to the delayed response by citizens. "People are not testing in time. They are not following COVID-appropriate behaviour. At the same time, private establishments are not following the 50 per cent attendance norms. There seems a casual approach towards home isolation. These all factors could be some of the reasons behind the spike in the cases," the department said.
On Saturday, the state government had announced a ban on holding of all types of gatherings, including political and religious. It also ordered that restaurants, gardens and malls will remain shut between 8 pm to 7 am beginning Saturday night. People will also not be allowed to visit beaches during 8 pm to 7 am.
—With PTI inputs