No restrictions yet, 36k cases in state
No lockdown plan as surge mostly in urban centres right now, hospitalisation rate low, says state health minister Rajesh Tope
MUMBAI: The state deferred releasing a notification on the restrictions to curb the spread of the pandemic even as the state added 36,265 Covid cases on Thursday.
State health minister Rajesh Tope on Thursday said that while there was no plan of shutting down local trains for commuters, a decision on night curfew and weekend lockdown will be taken at an appropriate time.
“We have discussed multiple options including weekend lockdown and night curfew, but the final decision will be taken by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. There are concerns over the crowding at malls, restaurants by the youngsters after shutting down schools and colleges. The decision over the restrictions on non-essential sectors will be taken at the appropriate time,” Tope said.
Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on January 4 had said that the government would release an official communique the next day that would list the restrictions to be followed. Other states too have issued a host of restrictions as cases of Covid-19 surge around the country; most recently, New Delhi imposed a weekend curb. Others like West Bengal have curbed flights. Maharashtra announced closure of physical classes in higher education institutions on Wednesday. On Wednesday, Tope said that the state was considering “augmented restrictions” — for non-essential sectors and most affected places (like urban centres) — based on the recommendations of the state task force. The health department’s draft was expecting a final nod from chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
A senior official from the Mantralaya who did not wish to be named said that a government notification is yet to be issued, as the government was contemplating the current necessity of restrictions given the low rate of hospitalisation in the state. A draft notification on the impositions is being prepared, he said.
“The upsurge in the cases is limited to five-six urbanised districts and there too, the hospitalization rate is very low. Until the demand of oxygen goes up and the bed occupancy is within check, we feel there is no need of panic. The restrictions can come in gradual manner and that too for the areas most affected,” said a senior minister requesting anonymity.
Tope said that though the number of cases in the state was rising rapidly, especially in cities like Mumbai and Thane, the hospitalisation rate was still low. “Despite positivity rate in Mumbai being recorded at 25%, hardly 15% beds are occupied. This is unlike the second wave. Vaccination in the cities like Mumbai has played a crucial role in keeping the severity in check as people have developed antibodies to a large extent,” he said.
With Thursday’s addition — three times the caseload on January 3, when it was 12,160 — the tally of cases in the state has gone up to 6,793,297. Mumbai recorded the highest number of cases at 19,780 — its highest ever — followed by Pune district which clocked 3,668 cases and Nashik, which saw 527. Mumbai Metropolitan Region, which is governed by nine municipal corporations, accounted for 30,312 or nearly 84 % of the total cases. The test positivity rate reported on Thursday was 21.28%. The state reported 13 new deaths taking the toll to 141,594.
The Omicron variant was detected in 79 patients on Thursday taking the total tally of the state to 876. Of them, 381 have been discharged. Among the new Omicron variants reported, 57 were from Mumbai, seven from Thane city, while nine were from Pune district.
The state started witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases from December 22 onwards, after the daily caseload crossed the 1000mark after several weeks. In the last 16 days, 142,332 fresh cases have been reported. The number of active cases has risen to 114,847 on Thursday, from 7,350 cases on December 22.