STATES SCRAMBLE TO ARREST OUTBREAK AS CASES SOAR
NEW DELHI: With India hitting a record daily high since the outbreak of the pandemic with over 100,000 new infections in the 24 hours to Monday, several states and Union territories (UTs) are scrambling to contain the virus that continues to soar across the country.
Several states and UTs, including Maharashtra, Punjab and Delhi, have announced closure of schools or suspended classes briefly till the Covid-19 situation is further reviewed.
Maharashtra has already announced weekend lockdowns and night curfew to contain the virus.
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said there was no immediate plan to impose lockdown or curfew here but the Covid-19 situation in the state and neighbouring ones was being monitored by his government.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to relax the norms for opening vaccination centres and lift the age criterion for getting inoculated. He reiterated the Delhi government can vaccinate all the residents of the city within three months if the necessary permissions are granted by the Centre.
Delhi recorded over 4,000
Covid-19 positive cases and 21 deaths due to the virus on Sunday. “The increased transmission of Corona across the country has presented a new concern and challenge, we will have to move the vaccination campaign more rapidly,” Kejriwal wrote to the Prime Minister.
With concerns rising, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan will on Tuesday hold a meeting with health ministers of 11 states and UTs, which have been witnessing a surge in coronavirus cases, to review the situation there. These 11 states are Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Raj as than. According to the health ministry, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab have shown a steep rise in daily Covid-19 cases, accounting for 81.90% of the over 100,000 infections reported in a day.
Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new cases at 57,074, which is 55.11% of the new cases reported nationwide. It is followed by Chhattisgarh with 5,250 cases and Karnataka reported 4,553 fresh infections. India’s total active caseload has reached 741,830 -- nearly 6% of the country’s total infections. A net increase of 50,233 active cases have been recorded in the 24 hours to Monday, the data presented by the health ministry showed.
Besides, 478 deaths were reported in a day. Eight states account for 84.52% of the new deaths. Maharashtra saw a maximum of 222 casualties, followed by 51 in Punjab.
While a few states and UTs like Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu have announced closure of schools for an indefinite period, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Punjab, among others, have suspended classes for a brief period. Schools have been directed to impart education through online classes in view of the situation.
BESIDES, 478 DEATHS WERE REPORTED IN A DAY. EIGHT STATES ACCOUNT FOR 84.52% OF THE NEW DEATHS. MAHARASHTRA SAW A MAXIMUM OF 222 CASUALTIES, FOLLOWED BY 51 IN PUNJAB.