‘FOLLOW...

“Even if there is laxity in people, the district administration should not let your guard down and enforce the norms strictly, he told the administration.” A day after deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said that tough decisions might have to be taken to prevent spread of coronavirus in the state, Thackeray said, “It is up to the people to decide whether to follow the rules or go back to the lockdown again. So, more care should be taken in the future,” he added.

On Tuesday, Maharashtra recorded 3,663 new Covid-19 cases with 461 fresh cases in Mumbai. The state recorded 39 deaths, taking the toll to 51,591, while Mumbai added three fatalities. Maharashtra’s active caseload stood at 37,125, while Mumbai had 4,238 active cases. For Mumbai, there was no discussion of imposing lockdown in the city, said officials present in the meeting. However, strict enforcement of Covid rules, including fines for face mask violation, will be done.

In the past couple of weeks, the state is seeing an increase in fresh Covid-19 cases from many districts. The daily average of cases recorded in first 15 days of February is more than the average number of cases recorded in January. Between February 1 and 15, the state has averaged 2,926 cases daily, while the average in January was 2,973.

Alarmingly, Pune, Mumbai and Nagpur districts have added 3,739, 3,709 and 3,011 new cases between February 9 and 15. While Amravati district added 2,843 infections, followed by Thane district (2,303) and Nashik district (1,359) between the same period. In the past six weeks, although the overall active case count has gone down in the state, active cases in 15 districts have gone up. For instance, Amravati district saw active cases go from 1,144 on January 4 to 3,090 on February 15—a jump of 170% in six weeks.

Five districts that need to be watched closely, according to a presentation given to Thackeray, include Amravati, Wardha, Akola, Yavatmal, and Buldhana. Amravati district has recorded a jump of 10.69% in new cases between February 8 and 14, followed by Wardha (4.62%), Akola (4.27%), Yavatmal (3.19%), and Buldhana (2.28%).

Thackeray further said that the Covid-19 norms are not being followed in public places across the state. “So, rallies, processions and agitations should not be allowed. Also, it should be checked whether the attendance limit at the wedding ceremonies is followed,” said Thackeray. The

CM has asked to take action against the owner of the establishment, if people are found not following Covid-appropriate behaviour or if any rules are flouted.

Thackeray also allowed district collectors and superintendent of police to make their permissions mandatory for weddings to keep a tab on the number of people attending the ceremony. “The police permission is not made mandatory. However, the district authorities can decide, if they wish to. It was a suggestion that came from one of the districts, which the CM liked,” said an official requesting anonymity.

For Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is going to introduce additional squads to man railway stations to ensure people wear masks. Special teams are expected to be formed to check venues for wedding ceremonies by the civic body, said an official.

A senior official said that lockdown would not be practical at this moment, while stricter enforcement of the existing rules will help contain the spread. “People have become lax in taking precautionary measures. Right now we want to keep social gatherings under control. The super-spreader events such as weddings and social gathering will be strictly restricted to 50 people. The 50-people rule has been there but there have been instances where there have been 500-600 attendees,” the official said requesting anonymity.

Similarly, Thackeray directed local authorities to check if restaurants and hotels are following the rules. If not, then he has asked them to take immediate action against the establishment.