The corridors of a Covid-19 critical ward at Kasturba Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Mumbai on July 15, 2020. (Express Photo: Amit Chakravarty)
Maharashtra, Mumbai, Pune Coronavirus News Live Updates: By this weekend, Maharashtra would have recorded over three lakh cases of the novel coronavirus. On Wednesday, the state reported 7,975 new infections, taking its tally to over 2.75 cases. Mumbai has 96,474 cases, and is expected to breach the one lakh mark this week.
In other news, the death rate due to Covid-19 in Maharashtra dropped to less than 4 per cent for the first time in two months. On Wednesday, the state’s fatality rate stood at 3.96 per cent even as it recorded 223 deaths due to the infection, taking the toll to 10,695. A week ago, the death rate was 4.22 per cent, and a week before it was 4.47 per cent. Mumbai’s death rate is at 5.6 per cent; higher than the state’s average.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has partially lifted its freeze on development funds to help stimulate economic growth. In an order Wednesday, the Uddhav Thackeray government said it would allow all departments to sanction new development works permissible under the Local Area Development fund allocated to legislators.
Municipal workers stand on a waterlogged street to keep commuters away from manholes, at Sion in Mumbai. (PTI Photo)
From next week, government employees in Mumbai performing essential services will have to scan QR codes — generated for each of them — at entry points of railway stations to board trains. The access system, put in place by the state government and the Railways, will regulate the entry of passengers into stations. It has taken over a month to set up the QR code system since the train services had resumed on June 15. Under the new system, identity cards with QR codes will be provided to each government employee. Read Iram Siddique's report
The Covid-19 tally in India rose to 968,876 today after 32,696 fresh cases were registered within a span of 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced. The death toll stood at 24,915. As many as 1,27,39,490 samples have been tested for the virus till July 15, of which 3,26,826 were tested Wednesday, the Indian Council of Medical Research said. Follow India Coronavirus Live Updates
The Maharashtra government has partially lifted the freeze on capital works in a bid to stimulate economic growth. The Uddhav Thackeray government Wednesday permitted all departments to sanction new development works permissible under the Local Area Development fund allocated to legislators.
As per the May 4 order, only five departments – public health, medical education, food and drug administration, food and civil supplies and relief and rehabilitation – were authorised to commit to new spending, which was also restricted to only purchases for combating the outbreak. Read Sandeep A Ashar's report
The number of coronavirus infections in Maharashtra increased by 7,975 on Wednesday, taking the state's tally to over 2.75 lakh cases. Mumbai has recorded 1,374 new cases, taking its total count to 96,474. The state is likely to cross the 3 lakh mark by this weekend, and the financial capital is likely to breach the 1 lakh mark this week.
The BJP has alleged ventilators given to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) under the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) were lying unused at various civic hospitals in Mumbai.
In a letter to Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal, the party’s group leader in the civic body, Prabhakar Shinde, demanded action against officials concerned who have failed to use the ventilators at the time of Covid-19 outbreak. Read more here
THE DEATH rate due to Covid-19 in Maharashtra dropped to less than 4 per cent for the first time in the last two months. On Wednesday, the state's fatality rate stood at 3.96 per cent even as it recorded 223 deaths due to the infection, taking the toll to 10,928. A week ago, the death rate was 4.22 per cent, and a week before it was 4.47 per cent. Read more here