Review on Saturday to decide lockdown extension: Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar

Nisha Nambiar | TNN | Updated: Apr 22, 2020, 10:59 IST

File photo of Ajit Pawar

Deputy chief minister and guardian minister Ajit Pawar, in a telephonic interview to TOI’s Nisha Nambiar on Monday, said he will review the situation in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad before deciding if the stringent lockdown imposed from April 20 should continue in both areas after April 27. Excerpts.
Will the curfew in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad be extended?
The current lockdown is for eight days. A review meeting on Saturday will first assess the situation and then decide upon the next course of action. We will find out if people are following the complete lockdown orders and adhering to social distancing before planning any more measures for both these areas. At present, we have more than 750 cases and 51 deaths. We do not want the numbers to increase, and the efforts from the government are to restrict any spurt in Covid-19 cases. The decision for a complete lockdown of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad was taken jointly by revenue, health and police officials.
Some industries in the rural areas of the district like Chakan and Ranjangaon have opened up. But factories not able to operate as the staff is unable to travel from the city.
We do not want people travelling to and from Pune or Pimpri Chinchwad to these rural areas. If people do manage to travel to the rural areas, then it is up to the factories to accommodate them and provide them with food. Factories should use the staff from their own industrial areas rather than the city and ensure social distancing.
What is being done to address the rise in death cases reported from Sassoon?
We have appointed Subhash Salunke, former director general of the state health department and our technical consultant, to form a team of private doctors to assess the situation at Sassoon General Hospital. This team, with the present Sassoon staff, will provide medical and clinical counselling as well as ensure proper care for critical patients, and ensure the safety of Sassoon’s staff. The team will decide about the admission of patients to Sassoon or work with the present administration to have private hospitals take on critical patients.
There is a shortage of PPE kits for private medical practitioners.
We are ensuring that there is enough supply and the central government has directed companies that have been approved by the ICMR to provide them to the state governments as per the requirement. There is some shortage, and we are trying to bridge the gap by streamlining the supply from local companies.
What is your assessment of the sudden spike in cases and deaths in Pune and Mumbai?
Earlier, symptomatic patients were reporting late to the hospital, and many were into self-medication. Now, we have a system where people can approach flu clinics. We are also doing more tests and quarantining people accordingly. The stringent lockdown too is a step taken to ensure social distancing. Citizens should approach these fly clinics and not wait till the last minute.