Coronavirus cases rise in Maharashtra, state headed towards Stage 3
Maharashtra witnessed a big jump in coronavirus cases, from 52 to 63, and the state is heading towards the dreaded Stage 3 of the outbreak, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Saturday, while urging people to maintain self-discipline. He said if people continue to venture out and the load on public transport isn't decreased, a shutdown will have to be imposed.
10 cases reported from Mumbai, one from Pune
The steep rise of 11 cases is a matter of concern, Tope said according to PTI. Eight of them had travel history and three got infected after coming in contact. Meanwhile, while 10 of them belong to Mumbai, one was reported from Pune. He added that of the total number of cases, 13 or 14 patients came in contact with the infected ones.
"If people don't listen, we may have to think otherwise"
The minister added that the rise in the number of cases is concerning as people's cooperation is needed to tackle the outbreak. "If people don't listen and continue to use public transport unnecessarily, we may have to think otherwise," he said, adding that Maharashtra is moving towards Stage 3. This level pertains to community transmission wherein pinpointing the source (and hence, containing) is impossible.
Don't switch on ACs, suggested Tope
Tope added that the virus survives in cooler temperatures so people should avoid using ACs at home. He also said the fact that a large chunk of the migrant working class was heading back to their home states was worrying. An increase in outstation trains will reduce the crowd in stations like Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Pune, he underlined.
The government is in appeal mode, but things can change
On public transport still running, he said, "We are in observation and appeal mode as of now. Even the Centre feels that the public transport in Mumbai needs to be shut down. This was conveyed to (Sharad) Pawar saheb by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan."
Almost 300 people are infected across India
The national tally of coronavirus positive cases now stands at 298, the Ministry of Health Ministry said a short while ago. With the number of cases rising quickly, India is bracing for a "Janata Curfew", an idea mulled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week. Between 7 am and 9 pm tomorrow, residents have been asked to stay indoors to reduce transmission.
