Maharashtra CM asks for lockdown plan

Maharashtra CM asks for lockdown plan

In light of the increase in new Covid-19 cases, Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday asked officials to prepare a plan for the implementation of a lockdown that will have minimal impact on the economy on the recommendation of the group of Covid-19 state work. said an official statement.

In a meeting with the chief minister, Health Minister Rajesh Tope, and other officials, the chief secretary of the state health department, Dr. Pradeep Vyas, said that there will be “tremendous stress” in the availability of beds, supply of oxygen, and ventilators, which could decrease shortly if cases continue to increase.

Members of the task force also expressed fear that the state could report 40,000 new cases in the next 24 hours. During the meeting, the Chief Minister reviewed the health infrastructure, including the availability of beds, oxygen, medicines, etc., in the state to treat patients with Covid-19.

The task force then recommended that the state government implement measures such as a stricter lockdown to halt the increase in cases.

“There shouldn’t be any confusion among the people once the shutdown is announced,” the CM said.

Maharashtra has seen a large increase in positive cases in the last week. Up to a lakh new infections were added to the state’s count in such a short period. “24,619 cases had been reported in a single day in September 2020. However, on March 27 of this year, the state reported 35,726 new cases in one day. This number could reach 40,000 in the next 24 hours, ”the statement said, citing members of the working group.

Dr. Vyas gave a presentation on the current status of beds, ventilators, and oxygen availability during the meeting. “There are 3.57 lakh isolation beds in the state of which 1.07 lakh are already full. The remaining beds are filling up rapidly, ”Dr. Vyas said, adding that of the 60,349 oxygen beds, 12,701 beds are already occupied by Covid-19 patients.

“Of the 19,930 beds, 8,342 beds are already occupied by patients with mild symptoms. 1,881 of the 9,030 fans are also full, “he added.

The health department has blamed the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases on the delay in the response from citizens. “People are not testing on time. They are not following proper Covid behavior. At the same time, private establishments do not follow the 50% attendance standards. There seems to be a casual approach to home isolation. All of these factors could be some of the reasons behind the increase in cases, ”the department said.

On Saturday, the state government announced a ban on holding all kinds of gatherings, including political and religious ones. He also ordered that restaurants, gardens, and shopping centers remain closed between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. starting Saturday night. Also, people will not be allowed to visit the beaches between 8:00 p.m.

Maharashtra reported 35,726 new positive cases of coronavirus on Saturday, the second-highest daily increase, bringing the count to 26,73,461.

At 166, the state reported the highest number of deaths due to Covid-19 in this year so far.