Maharashtra CM asks authorities for a lockdown plan

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday asked officials to prepare a plan for a lockdown with minimal economic impact as people were not adhering to covid rules. The decision was made after the Covid-19 task force suggested a lockdown to control the rising number of positive cases in the state at a meeting attended by the Chief Minister, Health Minister Rajesh Tope, Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte, doctors of the COVID-19 task force and other officials. "There should not be any kind of confusion among the people once a lockdown is announced," the CM emphasised.

"24,619 cases had been reported on a single day in September 2020. However, on March 27 this year, the state reported 35,726 new cases in a day. This number could touch 40,000 in the next 24 hours," an official statement said. On Sunday, the city of Mumbai alone reported 6,923 cases, the highest-ever one day spike.

Officials, at the meeting, raised concerns of shortage in the availability of beds, oxygen supply, ventilators if the number of cases continued to rise, in addition to concerns of increasing fatalities.

"There are 3.57 lakh isolation beds in the state of which 1.07 lakh are already filled. The remaining beds are getting filled fast," Principal Secretary of Health Dr Pradeep Vyas said. Additionally, out of 60,349 oxygen beds, 12,701 beds are already occupied by Covid-19 patients.

"Out of the 19,930 beds, 8,342 beds are already occupied by mild-symptomatic patients. 1,881 of the 9,030 ventilators also remain filled," he added.