publive-image

In a worrying development, COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra have been on the rise since the past week, with the state reporting close to 7,000 cases on Sunday, the highest since October 23. The daily cases have been close to those being recorded in the state during peak of the pandemic in November 2020.

As a measure to counter the same, CM Uddhav Thackeray has announced a ban on all social, religious, and political gatherings in the state effective today. In a televised address, he said that decision on whether a lockdown should be imposed or not would be taken in the next 8-10 days, after reviewing the situation and whether people were complying with guidelines or not.

"Do we need a lockdown? If you behave responsibly, we will know in the next 8 days. Those who don't want a lockdown will wear a mask. Those who want a lockdown, will not wear one. So, wear a mask and say 'No' to the lockdown," he said.

The CM has also initiated an ‘I am responsible’ drive urging people to maintain self-discipline and practice all precautionary measures including wearing masks, using sanitizers, and maintaining social distancing.

Meanwhile, a week-long lockdown with effect from today has already been announced in Amravati district, which is one of the worst-affected areas where the virus mutation has been found to be more transmissible.

Along with this, a partial lockdown has been imposed in the districts of Akola, Buldhana, Washim, and Yavatmal. Night curfew has been imposed in Nashik and Pune from 11 pm to 5 am, barring all public movements except those involved in essential work.

The Pune district administration has also announced to close all the educational institutions, as the city witnessed as many as 1,176 new COVID-19 cases and 6 deaths in the last 24 hours on Sunday.

Mumbai, on the other hand, will not undergo another lockdown and will instead focus on increasing testing and strict implementation of face masks, as per BMC officials.

The critical situation has also posed a question as to whether this could mark the beginning of the second wave of the Pandemic in India. After a lull of over 3 months, India has registered an increase in the number of daily COVID-19 cases for the 5th consecutive day now, mainly reflecting the surge in Maharashtra. Active cases currently stand at over 1.5 lakhs in the country.

Apart from Maharashtra, 4 other states - Kerala, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh have reported a sudden spike in daily COVID-19 cases. Swift action by authorities and compliance by people is all the more necessary now to control further transmission and ensure that India isn't forced to push back to pre-Unlock periods.