Maharashtra's lockdown-like restrictions extended for 2 weeks: Health Minister Rajesh Tope

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Friday said the lockdown-like restrictions in Maharashtra will extend for two weeks, putting to rest the continued suspense over the duration of extension of restrictions even as the state has been witnessing a downward trend in the number of new Coronavirus infections. A day earlier, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s office had issued a statement maintaining that the restrictions will continue after June 1, without giving clarity on the duration of the extension.

"Although the growth rate is slowly declining, the number of patients is increasing rapidly in 10 to 15 districts and the risk of mucormycosis is also increasing. Therefore, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray directed to increase the restrictions after June 1 without lifting the lockdown,” the CM’s office said in a statement.

While Tope said relaxations could be given in the districts where cases are declining, the CM has directed officials to extend the curbs without lifting the lockdown.

Improvement in COVID situation in Maharashtra

Maharashtra, which was recording more than 60,000 new cases daily at the peak of the second COVID-19 wave, is now registering less than 30,000 infections, reflecting an improvement in the overall situation. A day earlier, Maharashtra recorded 21,273 fresh COVID-19 cases and 425 deaths in the last 24 hours. The total number of cumulative cases and deaths in the state stood at 5,672,180 and 92,225, respectively. Around 34,370 COVID-19 patients were also discharged in 24 hours. The recovery rate in the state is 93.02%. Now, the state has 3,01,041 active COVID-19 cases. The fatality rate and positivity rates in the state were 1.63% and 16.64%, respectively. This is for the eighth straight day that Maharashtra had seen less than 30,000 new COVID-19 infections in a day.

Although new Coronavirus cases are showing a steady decline in Maharashtra, the high fatality rate in 12 districts in the second COVID-19 wave remains a cause of concern for the government. Moreover, the Maharashtra government is also concerned about some districts with a high number of COVID-19 patients and the increasing risk of black fungus. Maharashtra government said the state has so far recorded 3,200 cases of Mucormycosis or Black Fungus as the state remains the worst affected with the fungal infection apart from the COVID-19 cases.