Pune Mayor and BJP leader Murlidhar Mohol tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday. Since the pandemic broke out, Mohol had led the city’s fight against the disease from the front, supervising efforts in hospitals and affected areas. He had also reached out to the state government as well as the Union government over various issues related to tackling the pandemic. The BJP leader had been instrumental in getting the PMC financial assistance from the corporate sector, as well as securing facilities to upgrade the health infratsurture needed for treating Covid-19 patients.

With 1,163 new cases, Mumbai now has 83,237 cases. The city recorded 68 deaths due to coronavirus in the last 48 hours, taking its toll to 4,762. Dharavi, on Saturday recorded its lowest increase in cases at two, taking the total count from the highly congested and one of the largest slums to 2,311.

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar's helicopter trip to Nashik in north Maharashtra during lockdown has sparked a controversy. Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal said on Saturday that he will order inquiry into the special permission which the actor reportedly obtained for the air travel and stay at a resort in Nashik during the visit earlier this week. While the actor's spokespersons did not offer any comment immediately, sources said he flew to Nashik with a special permission to see a doctor. 

"I read about his visit to Nashik in newspapers today. I have no idea when he came and left. I will have to check," Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bhujbal, who is also the 'guardian minister' of the district, told reporters in Nashik. "I will have to check, where he lived etc. I have received complaints about how he could be allowed to stay in a resort (amid coronavirus outbreak). We will ask the police to look into it. I have no idea who gave him the permission, why it was given. Officials will be questioned if something wrong has happened," the senior NCP leader added.

The Cine And TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA) on Saturday met Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to discuss the guidelines issued by the state government that restricts senior actors from returning to work amid the coronavirus scare. The production of TV shows, web series and films, which were stopped mid-March in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak in the country, were in May allowed to restart in non-containment zones with stringent safety guidelines. As per the guidelines, artistes and crew above 65 years of age are not allowed to resume work.

CINTAA Senior Vice President Manoj Joshi said he briefed the Maha Governor about senior citizens, who have families dependent on them for livelihood, and apprised him that they already have had no work for the past three months.

Around 11,000 inmates have been released temporarily from Maharashtra jails so far to reduce crowding in view of coronavirus outbreak, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Saturday. He was speaking to reporters after a visit to Nagpur Central Jail where 41 inmates and 56 staff tested positive for the infection in the last four days. "There are 37,000 inmates in Maharashtra's jails. Of these, 11,000, including those facing up to seven years imprisonment, have been released on parole to maintain social distancing norms in prisons. So far, 414 prisoners have tested positive for novel coronavirus in the state, and 281 of them have been released on parole," he said.

"A total of 162 prison staff have tested positive so far. Nine jails have been placed under lockdown to control the virus spread," he added.

3,395 patients were discharged, taking the number of recovered patients to 1,08,082. There are 83,311 active cases in the state now while 10,80,975 people have been tested, said the health department.

Instances of wall collapse, uprooting of trees and waterlogging were reported in Maharashtra as heavy rains lashed large parts of the western state, including Mumbai, for the second day on Saturday. However, there were no casualties. North India witnessed predominantly sultry weather, with Punjab and Haryana recording above-normal day temperatures. Rainfall was recorded at isolated places in Uttar Pradesh.

Mumbai suburbs and neighbouring Thane have received more than 100 mm rainfall since Saturday morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Interior Maharashtra also received fairly widespread rainfall, it said. The Colaba weather station in south Mumbai recorded 66 mm rainfall between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm, while the Santacruz station recorded 111.4 mm rainfall, according to the IMD.

Click here to read more

Maharashtra's COVID-19 case tally crosses two lakh with record single-day spike of7,074 new cases, 295 fatalities take death toll to 8,671: health department.

Mumbai police on Saturday tweaked its 2-kilometre radius diktat imposed to curb needless travel during the coronavirus-induced lockdown and allowed people to move around in the nearby neighbourhood. In a tweet, the police said people were "permitted shopping closer to home (5am-9pm)" and asked them not to forget IDs and other documents while travelling for work.

It also said night curfew was in force between 9pm to 5am with exemptions only for essential travel, including for medical and travel purposes. The instruction to not travel beyond 2 kilometres during the lockdown was issued by police on Sunday, while prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC were imposed on Wednesday.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday told the officials in Mumbai that coordination was necessary to tackle the coronavirus pandemic as well as monsoon-related illnesses in the city. He held a review meeting with officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), an official release said.

The need of the hour was to increase tracing and testing of suspected coronavirus patients, he said. Mortality rate of the pandemic in the city too should be reduced, the chief minister said. BMC officials were working hard to contain the pandemic and even the central team had praised their efforts, he noted. "The war is not over yet," he said.

Institutional quarantine facilities should also be increased, Thackeray said.

Only two new coronavirus patients were detected in Dharavi area of Mumbai on Saturday, taking its case tally to 2,311, a senior Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said. The area, known as Asia's largest slum cluster, has recorded such a small rise in COVID-19 cases for the first time since the first week of April. The BMC did not reveal if any fresh virus-related death has been reported in the area. The civic body has
stopped giving information about deaths in the area for the past few days.

On June 23, Dharavi had reported only five new coronavirus cases. The area has now 519 active COVID-19 cases with 1,704 patients having been discharged after recovery. Dharavi, spread over 2.5 square kilometres, has a population of around 6.5 lakh. As of Friday, average doubling rate of coronavirus cases for seven days in the area was 140 days and average growth rate of cases was 0.55 per cent.

(PTI Inputs)

No passenger flights will operate to Kolkata from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Nagpur and Ahmedabad from July 6 to July 19 or till further orders, whichever is earlier: Kolkata airport

Rajasthan BJP has shown how to stand shoulder to shoulder with people, no matter if we are in the power or out of the power. Very inspiring!: PM Narendra Modi after reviewing relief works by BJP workers in Rajasthan during the lockdown

Some believed that COVID-19 will spread more in east India due to high poverty; people proved it wrong: PM Modi to Bihar BJP workers

Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday alleged that there was lack of coordination among the three constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and also between Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his cabinet in the fight against COVID-19. Fadnavis also said that the MVA constituents keep saying that they stand with the chief minister, but their actions do not reflect so. The Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly also called for coordinated efforts and single-command decision-making while facing the pandemic.

The GSB Seva Mandal based in King's Circle area of Mumbai has asked Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for permission to retain the height of its Ganesh idol at the traditional 14 feet. Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations are scheduled to begin on August 22.

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the state has asked organisations that install such idols to curtail the height to four feet and scale down celebrations so as to adhere to social distancing norms and lockdown orders. In a statement, GSB Seva Mandal trustee RG Bhat said change in height would create hurdles as the eco-friendly idol is adorned with pre-moulded gold and silver jewellery.

The statement said there would be no immersion of the idol this time and darshan for devotees would be online while prasad distribution would be through e-commerce platforms. All social distancing standards will be maintained, and no crowd or darshan will be allowed, he added. He said a letter has been sent to CM Thackeray with a request to allow the idol to be 14 feet tall.

Family of a 64-year-old man who succumbed to coronavirus infection in neighbouring Navi Mumbai has alleged that he had to be kept in an ambulance for a whole day before he could be admitted to a hospital.

When he was finally admitted, the family did not have the money to buy an injection that cost Rs 32,000. The man, who performed in a music band, died on June 25. "He developed coughing and breathing problem on June 20. We took him to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation's (NMMC) COVID hospital at Vashi," his son told PTI. "There was no bed with oxygen supply available, so I was asked to go to another hospital," he said.

"I asked them to tell us where to go, but they did not guide us and only said go to a private hospital," he said. "Then I started searching for a hospital. After a few hospitals refused to admit him, I called a cardiac ambulance and put my father in it because he needed oxygen support," said the son, who also performs in a music band. The next day the man was admitted to a private hospital in Kopar Khairane area.

The Maharashtra government has set up committees headed by district collectors to monitor treatment and health facilities in COVID hospitals. A GR on this was published recently, which also stated that COVID hospitals must have CCTV facilities, which should be made available when the committees visit. Every hospital must have a help desk where kin can call up or meet the patient, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Friday, adding that the decision to form committees in all districts, except Mumbai, was based on a Supreme Court order. "District civil surgeon, municipal commissioners, deans of medical colleges, heart specialists, Indian Medical Association (IMA) members among others will be members. There will be a separate 12-member committee for Mumbai which will be headed by the municipal commissioner," officials said.

Four days after a police constable’s family refused to take his body, KEM hospital finally conducted a post-mortem on Thursday to find out if he was infected with Covid-19. For the last four days, the constable’s body was kept in the mortuary of the hospital. Constable Mangesh Kamble (47), who was posted in the Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC), lived in BDD chawl number 70 in Worli, which was just four buildings away from his office. On June 29, while getting ready for work he fainted and collapsed at home. Neighbours and colleagues took him to KEM hospital, where he died within an hour of admission.