Maharashtra bans all gatherings amid spike in COVID-19 cases, CM warns of lockdown

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that in view of the rising coronavirus cases, religious, social and political gatherings will be prohibited in the state from Monday. Asking people to follow “Coid-appropriate” behaviour and safety norms, he said he would decide whether to impose another lockdown after observing the situation for a week to 15 days.

Meanwhile, amid a spike in the daily active cases in some states, the Indian government on Sunday advised them to increase the proportion of RT-PCR tests and regularly monitor mutant strains besides refocusing on strict surveillance and stringent containment in selected districts.

“More than 74 per cent of the active cases of the country are in Kerala and Maharashtra. Of late it is seen that there has been a spike in the daily cases in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh also. Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir too are witnessing a surge in daily new cases,” the health ministry said.

As Maharashtra has been witnessing a spike in the coronavirus cases ever since the local train services resumed as part of the unlock, the Pune administration enforced certain curbs, including restriction on movement of people from 11 pm to 6 am for non-essential activities. Schools and colleges, too, have been shut.

Due to the spike in the coronavirus cases in the past few days, Amravati district in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region will be placed under a week-long lockdown from 8 pm on February 22, a state minister said on Sunday. The lockdown will be in force till 8 am on March 1, minister Yashomati Thakur said.