Maharashtra stares at lockdown as circumstances surge

As the variety of at present lively Covid-19 circumstances touched a brand new file in Maharashtra, the state appeared headed in the direction of a lockdown within the coming week, officers advised The Indian Express on Sunday.
The lockdown choice was mentioned at a gathering Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had with Health Minister Rajesh Tope, Health Secretary Dr Pradeep Vyas, and the Covid Task Force to contemplate methods to carry the surge in circumstances below management. Over the final three days, Maharashtra has recorded greater than 1.13 lakh new infections; 40,414 new circumstances have been detected on Sunday.
Chief Minister Thackeray is contemplating a lockdown for a restricted variety of days, officers mentioned. Essential providers like grocery retailers and medical shops will probably be open and deliveries will proceed, however personal workplaces will probably be suggested to encourage workers to work at home or minimize attendance in workplaces to lower than 50 per cent.
In a sign of the seriousness with which a lockdown is being thought-about, Thackeray requested the Department of Relief and Rehabilitation to formulate a typical working process (SOP) for a restricted lockdown. An in depth plan will probably be launched quickly, the officers mentioned.
Senior state well being officers mentioned they’ve suggested a lockdown for at the least 15 days to interrupt the chain of transmission. “We have asked the CM to implement the lockdown at the earliest, if possible within a day or two,” a senior well being official mentioned.
On Saturday, the state had touched a brand new excessive for the variety of lively circumstances, overtaking the earlier peak of three.01 lakh circumstances achieved on September 17. By Sunday, the lively circumstances had risen additional to three.25 lakh. Pune has over 62,000 lively circumstances, whereas Mumbai has greater than 44,000. Nagpur has 42,000 lively circumstances.
On Sunday, Mumbai recorded 6,933 circumstances, whereas Pune touched a brand new file of 8,364 circumstances. Nagpur recorded 3,999 circumstances.
More than 1.07 lakh of the three.57 lakh isolation beds within the state are already occupied. No beds can be found in districts like Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Nashik, well being officers mentioned. Mumbai and Pune are inching in the direction of an identical scenario.
“Hospitals are running full and there is an increase in new infections. In such a situation, there will be a dearth of beds. Lockdown is the only solution at this point to bring the situation under control,” a senior well being official mentioned.
Maharashtra has reported greater than 5.58 lakh new circumstances and over 2,000 deaths this month, up from 1.28 lakh circumstances and over 1,000 deaths in February. In Sunday’s assembly, Health Secretary Dr Vyas projected that going by the present development, there can be immense stress on ventilators, oxygen beds, and ICUs in coming days, official sources mentioned.
Data from the well being division present that 12,701 of the 60,349 oxygen beds are occupied, and 1,881 of the 9,030 ventilators are taken. “In a week or 10 days, we will reach full capacity of beds available,” Dr Shashank Joshi, member of the Covid Task Force, mentioned.
The Task Force expressed concern over rising deaths — despite the fact that the dying fee nonetheless stays low at 0.4 per cent — as infectivity will increase. Nagpur reported 58 deaths on Sunday, the very best for any metropolis in India.
“In Nagpur and Pune, deaths are very high. It is a mutant variant that is at play there,” Dr Joshi mentioned. The Task Force is of the view that the night time curfew needs to be prolonged to day curbs as effectively, till the scenario is introduced below management.
At the assembly, members of the Task Force mentioned delayed remedy and testing was resulting in rising fatalities. BMC Commissioner Iqbal Chahal mentioned they count on circumstances in Mumbai to the touch 10,000 a day.
The CM has directed districts to encourage institutional isolation and provides precedence in hospitalisation to senior residents. The authorities could quickly announce norms for institutional isolation for individuals apart from those that have medical doctors’ approval for house isolation. Hospital admissions will probably be restricted to essential and reasonably unwell sufferers. Mumbai plans to rope in 63 nursing houses for Covid remedy; these would add over 2,000 beds.

“Last year, we gradually increased all the health facilities and we created field hospitals, but in the current situation, it seems these facilities are not enough,” the CM mentioned within the assembly. He has directed that 80 per cent of oxygen produced in state can be reserved for medical circumstances and 20 per cent for industrial use, and has requested districts to ramp up ventilators. An identical rule had been utilized final August when oxygen was quick in provide.
Officials current on the assembly mentioned the CM additionally expressed concern over financial losses if one other lockdown was carried out. He requested districts to strictly make sure that weddings would not have greater than 50 friends, individuals put on masks in markets, and crowded locations are monitored.
The CM additionally directed Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte to make sure provide of foodgrains, medicines, important providers, and medical services to organize for a future lockdown.

Health Minister Tope mentioned rural areas will want a large upgradation in infrastructure if circumstances proceed to rise. A facility of e-ICU to hyperlink district and civil hospitals to city centres will probably be undertaken. Private medical doctors will probably be once more roped in to assist in treating sufferers in authorities hospitals.
The CM gave instructions to cease the entry of tourists in Mantralaya and different semi-government workplaces. He requested personal workplaces to limit employees as much as 50 per cent. Government workplaces may additionally be requested to cut back their employees.