Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Deputy Minister Ajit Pawar said on Friday that he has instructed state administrations to crack down on people found without masks in public amid the increase in COVID-19 cases in the state. Speaking to the media in Shivneri Fort after an event, Pawar said that district administrations have been authorized to assess the situation in their respective districts and impose a 6 a.m. closure. M. At 6 p. M., If the situation requires it. Also Read – Maharashtra: 500 Reserved To Disobey COVID-19 Rules At Thane Birthday Party
“I am going to chair a meeting on February 21 in Pune to discuss measures to contain the viral spread,” the deputy minister said. An increase in COVID-19 cases witnessed in some districts of the state is a cause for concern, he said. Also read: Hotels will operate at 50% capacity, 20 people at funeral: after BMC, now Nagpur issues the COVID guidelines
“In some cases, the local administrations of these districts have been authorized to impose closures from 6 am to 6 pm if the situation requires it,” he said. In addition, local authorities have been asked to crack down on those who do not wear masks in public, Pawar said. Also read: Will the blockade be re-imposed in Mumbai? BMC Mayor Clears the Air
Speaking at an event organized to celebrate the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the fort, Pawar said he is grateful to the people of the state for answering the government’s call to celebrate Shiv Jayanti and other festivals in a simple way in the last year. . “If Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had been there, he also would not have made any decisions that could endanger people’s lives,” he said.
As of Thursday, Maharashtra had a case burden of 20,81,520, including 51,669 deaths.
PNC ministers postpone ‘janta darbars’
Citizen reparations meetings, popularly known as ‘janta darbars’, of the PNC ministers in Maharashtra have been postponed for two weeks in light of the increase in COVID-19 cases in recent days, the party said on Friday. In a statement, the PNC said that people can email their issues to ncpjantadarbar@gmail.com during this period.
By the way, two of the PNC ministers, Jayant Patil and Rajesh Tope, had announced on Thursday that they had tested positive for coronavirus. Such janta darbars were being celebrated by the party since August last year.
Thane officials meet to assess the situation.
Thane police and civic officials met on Friday to assess the COVID-19 situation in light of the increase in cases in some parts of Maharashtra, especially in Vidarbha. Officials said the meeting was chaired by Thane Municipal Commissioner Vipin Sharma, who directed all departments to ensure that the COVID care facilities that had been used during the height of the outbreak can be reactivated as soon as the situation justifies it.
Thane added 506 COVID-19 cases on Thursday and his overall count is currently 2,59,125, while the death toll is 6,219.
Sharma said the positivity rate in the city had risen from 2.5% before to around 5% in recent days, but added that there were enough beds, fans, etc. to cope with a sudden increase. However, he declined to discuss the possibility of a closure in the city due to the increase in cases and called that conversation “premature.”
(With PTI inputs)
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