The state on Saturday reported a single-day highest spike of 16,867 coronavirus cases which pushed its case tally to 7,64,281, the state health department said.Maharashtra, Mumbai, Pune Coronavirus News Live Updates: Singer Lata Mangeshkar’s building has been sealed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as a precautionary measure amid the Covid pandemic, her family said in a statement on Sunday. The 90-year-old singer resides in Prabhukunj building at Peddar Road in south Mumbai.
“We have been inundated by calls all evening enquiring whether Prabhukunj is sealed. The Building Society and the BMC have sealed it from the onset of the epidemic as we have senior citizens at home and in the building and it is mandatory to take these precautions,” the statement read.
Maharashtra on Saturday reported a single-day highest spike of 16,867 coronavirus cases which pushed its case tally to 7,64,281, the state health department said. With 328 new fatalities, the death toll due to the pandemic reached 24,103, it said in a release.
After the Centre issued Unlock 4.0 guidelines, Maharashtra government officials indicated that it was considering increasing the number of people allowed in government and private offices and allowing indoor gyms. However, a decision on doing away with e-pass will be taken after considering the situation in the state.
Door to door screening for temperature and oxygen level by health workers in Mankhud area. (File)
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Sunday said the spike in COVID-19 cases in the state over the last one month was due to the government's aggressive approach of "tracking, tracing, testing and treatment". Talking to PTI, Tope said the state government is focusing on preparedness and creating awareness about the disease. "We are aggressively focussing on four Ts- tracking, tracing, testing and treatment. There are 400 labs for COVID-19 testing and more than 50,000 tests are done daily in the state. The antigen test and RT-PCR tests are being done to the optimum capacity," the health minister said. He noted that the spread of COVID-19 has gone up in the last month due to the easing of restrictions.
Actor Himansh Kohli has said his family, including father, mother and sister, have tested positive for COVID-19 while he has not contracted the virus. Kohli took to Instagram on Saturday and shared that for the last two-three days, his family was experiencing symptoms of viral infection, including mild fever. "Recently, we all got ourselves tested for Novel Coronavirus - mom dad and Disha have tested positive with mild COVID-19 infection and I have tested negative. "We are home quarantined, taking all precautions and are thankful to the government authorities for all the help and the advice," Kohli wrote. "I am taking care of myself and my family members. In the meanwhile, safeguard your family and ensure that they are taking all precautions. "Even the slightest bit of carelessness can be harmful. But, please don't be scared, a sane mind deals with all the problems better. Wishing all of you good health and lots of love," he added. (PTI)
Band artists, who did not get any orders this summer due to restrictions on weddings in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, are now hopeful of revival of their business during the culmination of the Ganesh festival on Tuesday. After the lockdown came into force in March, many band artists in Maharashtra's Aurangabad and Nanded districts had to leave their profession as they did not get any bookings for playing instruments since people cancelled or postponed wedding ceremonies in the last few months. But, they are now expecting some bookings during the immersion of idols, marking the conclusion of the 10-day Ganesh festival, on 'Anant Chaturdashi'.
Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar's building was sealed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as a precautionary measure, the family said in a statement. The 90-year-old singer resides in Prabhukunj building at Peddar Road in south Mumbai. The family said the building was sealed as it houses many senior citizens. "We have been inundated by calls all evening enquiring whether Prabhukunj is sealed. The Building Society and the BMC have sealed it from the onset of the epidemic as we have senior citizens at home and in the building and it is mandatory to take these precautions. "Even our usual festive Ganesha celebrations was a simple familial one this time to co-operate and support social distancing," the statement read. There were reports that some residents of the building had tested positive for Covid-19 but the family asked well-wishers to not indulge in any speculations. "Please do not react to any hearsay on the health of our family members especially. We, as a building society in unison, are taking utmost caution, care and co-operating to ensure the well being and safety of all the senior citizens especially and all the other residing members as well.
The Maharashtra BJP on Saturday warned the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government that it would forcibly reopen all the temples in the state if the government did not give permission for it. The BJP’s threat came after a day-long ‘ghantanad andolan’ held across Maharashtra. As part of the protest, party workers assembled outside temples in various cities and towns, demanding their reopening. Ringing brass bells and blowing conches, they chanted hymns. “What is the rationale behind keeping places of worship shut. The government has allowed liquor shops, malls and markets to open. But it is against opening temples. It sounds strange,” said former chief minister and Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis.
Even as the Supreme Court ruled on Friday that final-year degree exams will have to be conducted, and state authorities said they will soon announce the exam schedule, students who are going to appear for these examinations find themselves in a fix. They are concerned about a myriad range of issues — taking a written exam spanning hours inside a single room during a pandemic, a syllabus that remained incomplete due to the lockdown, whether they will be able to go back to studies after a five-month break, and the hurdles this move poses after they have taken up jobs or internships, or made plans to go abroad. Click here to read more.
After Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar directed the PCMC administration to reduce the mortality rate due to coronavirus infection, the civic administration on Saturday claimed that its biggest Covid hospital, YCMH, has the lowest mortality rate in Pune district. “YCM Hospital has the lowest mortality rate of 3.95 per cent in Pune when compared to any other hospital, whether private or government,” Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar told The Indian Express. He added, “We have the analysis report (from the central government) with us. It shows that Sassoon Hospital has the highest mortality rate of around 20 per cent while other major private hospitals like Dinanath Mangeshkar and Bharati Hospital in Pune city have a mortality rate of 6-7 per cent”.
Band artists, who did not get any orders this summer due to restrictions on weddings, are now hopeful of revival of their business during the culmination of the Ganesh festival on Tuesday. After the lockdown came into force in March, many band artists in Maharashtra's Aurangabad and Nanded districts had to leave their profession as they did not get any bookings for playing instruments since people cancelled or postponed wedding ceremonies in the last few months. But, they are now expecting some bookings during the immersion of idols, marking the conclusion of the 10-day Ganesh festival, on 'Anant Chaturdashi'. "Marriages generally take place every year between March and May, and between November (after Diwali) and January. This year half of our season went with almost zero earnings as weddings were cancelled due to lockdown," Aurangabad-based brass band player Nisar Qureshi told news agency PTI.
As many as 921 people tested positive for coronavirus infection in Nashik district of Maharashtra on Saturday, raising the caseload in the region to 27,015, an official told PTI. Apart from this, 1,112 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals in the district, the official said. The number of recoveries now stand at 16,967, while 9,069 patients are undergoing treatment at various hospitals, he said. With the death of 33 Covid-19 patients, the toll in the district has reached 979, the official added.
With most of the medical equipment such as coronavirus testing kits and masks available at cheaper rates in the market, the Centre has informed the Maharashtra government that it would discontinue their supply from October, an official told PTI. The state will buy these items, needed by healthcare workers and hospitals dealing with coronavirus patients, entirely on its own, he said. "When the coronavirus outbreak started, nobody was making these items in the country. Now there are many suppliers, which has brought down the prices, so we can purchase them on our own," the senior state health department official said on Saturday. "The RT-PCR testing kit would cost the Centre Rs 1,800, hence patients had to shell out around Rs 2,500 per test. Now these kits are going to be available at Rs 400 or Rs 600 and we will pass on the price benefit to patients," he added.
Actor Genelia Deshmukh on Saturday revealed that she has recovered from coronavirus after testing positive three weeks ago. "I was tested covid positive three weeks ago. I was asymptomatic for last 21 days. With god's grace I tested negative today," the 33-year-old actor announced on Instagram. "As much as I count my blessings that my battle with this disease has been much easier but at the same time I must admit that these 21 days in isolation have been the most challenging for me to deal with. No amount of FaceTime and digital immersion can kill the evil of loneliness," she added.
Meanwhile, India's Covid tally on Sunday crossed the 35 lakh mark with a spike of 78,761 new cases and 948 deaths in 24 hours.
As the Centre announced fresh guidelines for unlock 4.0, Maharashtra on Saturday reported a single-day highest spike of 16,867 coronavirus cases which pushed its case tally to 7,64,281, the state health department said. With 328 new fatalities, the death toll due to the pandemic reached 24,103, it said in a release. Follow our blog for all the latest updates from Mumbai and Pune, among other areas.