From Stopping Locals to 5 Star Hotels as Covid Centres: Changes Likely if Mumbai Goes for Full Lockdown

A crucial decision on the Maharashtra lockdown can be taken today as Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is scheduled to attend a series of meetings with government officials, task forces, traders body and others regarding a lockdown in the state. The chief minister will attend a meeting with the finance department and he is likely a cabinet meet in the matter. A decision is likely to be expected after the series of meetings.

CM Uddhav will also attend a meeting at 11 am regarding increasing oxygen manufacturing capacity, liquid oxygen plants, setting up electric crematoriums etc. He will also attend a meet with finance department at noon. The meeting of the finance department will be held to discuss if any financial help can be given to the labourers and poorer sections. Deputy CM and finance minister Ajit Pawar will also attend the meeting.

A cabinet meeting is likely to be held by Wednesday, State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said. The Chief Minister will also attend a meeting with task force at 8.30 pm today. There is also a meeting with traders’ body scheduled for today.

Yesterday, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that an appropriate decision regarding lockdown will be taken after April 14. His comments has come after a virtual meeting of the Covid-19 task force chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to discuss measures, including the imposition of a lockdown in the state, to break the virus chain.

Sources told CNN-News18 that a lockdown is imminent and the only question before the state machinery is the quantum. Officials privy to the Task Force meeting said that while Thackeray favoured only an eight-day lockdown, medical experts pushed for 14 days for Maharashtra to successfully emerge from the claws of the deadly pandemic whose second wave is turning out to be more virulent.

According to sources, a team of top officers have been tasked with drawing up the contours of the new SOPs – they are likely to be ready by tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) said that nodal officers shall be appointed for accurate and proactive functioning of 24 Ward War Rooms and jumbo field hospitals respectively. The officers shall be constantly in touch with each other to facilitate allotment of beds to patients requiring beds and calling up the Ward War Rooms, especially between 11 pm and 7 am.

3 more jumbo Hospitals to come up in Mumbai in a week. The MCGM also said that certain 4 and 5 star hotels shall be converted into CCC2 (Covid Care Centre for positive patients) which will be run by professionals from major private hospitals to make large number of beds available to new needy patients.

The state government is also planning to restrict the general public from using Mumbai local train services in order to curb the spread of the deadly virus.

Maharashtra Minister Vijay Wadettiwar reportedly said that the government may reduce the allotted time slots to travel in Mumbai local trains or the government may revoke the permission allowing commoners to take suburban local trains. A decision is expected soon in this matter in a day or two.

Maharashtra recorded 63,294 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, its highest single-day rise since the pandemic broke out, which pushed the caseload to 34,07,245, the health department said. The death of 349 patients due to the infection took the state’s toll to 57,987, it said.

A total of 34,008 patients were discharged during the day. With this, its recovery count increased to 27,82,161, a statement from the department said. A record 2,63,137 tests were conducted across the state during the day, which took the overall test count to 2,21,14,372.

In its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, ruling-Shiv Sena suggested that lockdown is inevitable.

“The Chief Minster says lockdown and stricter norms are inevitable, while opposition feels the economic wheel will be affected, which is natural. Fadnavis says, people’s anger will burst if a lockdown is announced. Not that there is no grain of truth in it. But he should also give alternative, if any. There is no option to lockdown. If he has one in mind, he should share it,” it said.

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