Maharashtra today reported the highest new cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). While 53,480 new cases were registered in the last 24 hours across the country, the state reported 27,918 new cases.
Pune district recorded 57,694 active COVID19 cases — the highest across all the districts in India. This is followed by Mumbai ( 47, 742), Nagpur (45,303), Thane (37,512) and Nashik (28,979).
India’s total active caseload has now reached 5,52,566. Five states — Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab and Chhattisgarh — cumulatively account for 79.3 per cent of the total active cases in the country. Maharashtra alone has more than 61 per cent of the cases, the Union health ministry said in its press briefing.
With 139 deaths, Maharashtra led in the casualty count too — 354 deaths were reported across the country in the last 24 hours.
Six states — Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala — account for 82.20 per cent of the new deaths.
Amid the rising COVID-19 cases, Uddhav Thackeray, chief minister of Maharashtra, warned of “lockdown-like restrictions” if people failed to adhere to COVID-appropriate behaviour. Night curfew has been imposed in the state from March 28.
Today, Rajesh Tope, minister for Public Health and Family Welfare Maharashtra, clarified that the decision regarding lockdown is yet to be finalised. Mumbai’s municipal commissioner had said that if things did not improve, certains restrictions would have to be imposed.
Meanwhile, 14 states/Union Territories have not reported any COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours. These include Rajasthan, Assam, Odisha, Ladakh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Andaman & Nicobar islands.
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