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Maharashtra: 12 more test positive, overall count hits 215

Hindustan Times, Mumbai | By
Mar 30, 2020 11:46 AM IST

On Sunday, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said in an address, which was streamed live, that it is an emergency-like situation.

Maharashtra’s tally of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients climbed to 215 on Monday morning as 12 more tested positive in the state, state health department officials said. Among the 12 new cases reported from the state, five patients are from Pune, three in Mumbai, two in Nagpur and one each in Nashik and Kolhapur.

In Pune, of the five new cases, two are from a slum in Gultekdi Market Yard. The city administration has expressed fear of more people coming into contact with these patients because of the slum’s high population density.

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While the two new cases in Nagpur had come into contact with a businessman, who had tested positive a few days ago after his return from Delhi.

Saamana, the mouthpiece of the ruling Shiv Sena, has attacked the ally-turned-rival the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in its editorial on Monday morning for indulging in ‘partiality’ amid these challenging times due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The Marathi daily, edited by state chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s wife Rashmi Uddhav Thackeray, wrote a hard-hitting editorial. “The prime opposition party is acting against national unity and has lost its social responsibility. When other parties donated one month’s salary of their legislators to the chief minister’s fund, the BJP has directed its MLAs [members of legislative assembly] and MLCs [members of legislative council] to deposit the salary drawn from the state government in the party’s relief fund. The party has done partiality even in these challenging times,” the editorial said.

On Sunday, CM Thackeray said in an address, which was streamed live, that it is an emergency-like situation. “The number of cases has started rising and it will rise even further. However, we want this spike to be restricted … this is the phase when cases will start multiplying. ..If we can stop its spread, it can be contained and we will win this war. It’s time for everyone to shoulder their responsibilities,” he said. He also warned that pneumonia cases could rise and urged private hospitals to be more careful.

Police are also taking action against those who are stepping out of their homes, defying the 21-day nationwide lockdown that started on March 25. Two truck drivers were booked at Seweri and Charkop in Mumbai on charges of illegally carrying migrant workers. Similar action was taken against many vehicles running on national highway in Dhule, north Maharashtra.

The state administration has received complaints of violation of social distancing at a vegetable market that was shifted from Dadar to nearby grounds.

“Mumbaikars are flocking to the markets set up at Somaiya Ground in Sion and Backbay Ground in Bandra on Monday morning. Police have ordered the vendors to ensure customers stand in queues while maintaining adequate distance. Less than 100 truckloads of vegetables and fruits were allowed to the city on Monday because of the restrictions on the movements of the goods vehicles at the APMC [Agricultural Produce Market Committee] market in Vashi,” said an official from the state control room at Mantralaya, the administrative headquarters of the state government.

The state government has opened over 160 centres to provide a meal at Rs5 per plate for the homeless and migrant workers, who have been stranded in Maharashtra because of the lockdown.

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