Cities such as Mumbai and Pune are declared the ‘hotspots’ for the spread of novel coronavirus in Maharashtra with over 5,589 COVID-19 cases registered in the two regions. Thus, government officials are now contemplating that these two cities, under the red zone, may extend their respective lockdowns till June.
ET quoted a government official saying, “As of now, there is no question of lifting the lockdown in Mumbai and Pune MMR region. In fact, with the rising numbers, there may be a need to tighten restrictions.”
If the spread of coronavirus is not curtailed, there will be strict restrictions on buses, local trains and shops.
Mumbai and Pune are the two pillars of the State’s economy. After the 32-day lockdown, Maharashtra is now looking for the revival of the economy. Still, continuous increase in cases of coronavirus here is a worry.
Mumbai has already created over 900 containment zones with door-to-door delivery of essentials to break the chain and stop the spread of the deadly virus. So far, Mumbai has recorded 4,589 coronavirus cases with 179 deaths reported. The administration has embarked on a determined screening, isolation and testing to edge the number of cases where social distancing is impossible.
On the other hand, there is an upward graph of positive cases of COVID-19 in Pune Metropolitan region that includes Pimpri-Chinchwad.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) have already imposed strict lockdown with many areas are sealed.
People are allowed to step out of their home for two hours daily to buy essential products. The central team which recently gave a visit to Pune has also advised the administration to make quarantine necessities till the end of May.
Though the mortality rate of the State has dropped to 4.40 per cent from 7.41 per cent since last Monday (April 13), there is a sizeable increase of coronavirus cases in districts such as Nagpur and Nashik.
