Navi Mumbai's APMC market to remain shut from May 11 to 17 amid spike in COVID-19 cases

In wake of the rising numbers of COVID-19 positive cases, Mumbai Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) situated in Navi Mumbai's Vashi area will remain shut from May 11 to May 17. Navi Mumbai mayor Jaywant Sutar has urged the state government to shut agricultural produce market committee (APMC) market in Vashi after a total number of cases in the region touched 395 on Thursday. This comes a month after the Vashi market resumed operations.

APMC administration and NMMC will carry out disinfection of the market premises and conduct tests. The market will remain open on this Saturday-Sunday. The decision comes after a meeting with Maharashtra principal secretary (marketing) Anoop Kumar, IAS officer Sanjeev Jaiswal and other top bureaucrats. It is also reported that traders and workers will be inspected during market hours. The region has so far reported 233 cases, including three deaths.  

The APMC market is the principal supplier of grains, vegetable, fruits and spices to Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and is among the largest complexes of its kind in the country.

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Earlier in the day, it was reported that the APMC market in Gujarat's Surat shall remain closed from May 9 to May 14 after more than 25 vegetable traders tested positive for Coronavirus, informed the Surat Municipal Commissioner on Friday. The city has also been placed under a complete lockdown between the same period. All shops including essential goods like those supplying fruits and vegetables will be closed. Only milk booths and pharmacies will be allowed to function.

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COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra soar to 17,974

Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally surged to 17,974 after 1,216 persons tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Thursday. With 11,394 cases and 437 deaths, Mumbai continues to be a major COVID-19 hotspot in the state. With 207 patients being discharged in the day, the number of recovered persons rose to 3,301. Meanwhile, 43 casualties including 24 from Mumbai, 7 from Pune, 5 from Vasai-Virar, two from Solapur and one in Akola, Palghar, and Aurangabad were reported on Thursday. 29 of the deceased patients had high-risk co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, etc. Thus, the death toll in Maharashtra has gone up to 694. 

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