After 42 Days, Maharashtra Overtakes Kerala to Record Highest Number of New Coronavirus Cases, Night Curfew Imposed in Amravati

New Delhi: Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases,  a night curfew has been imposed in the Amravati district of Maharashtra. Yesterday, the disrict reported 449 fresh coronavirus positive cases, taking the count to 25,743. Notably, some districts in the Vidarbha region in east Maharashtra, especially Amravati and Nagpur, and Nashik in north Maharashtra have seen the number of new cases rising over the last few days.

Talking to reporters, District Collector Shailesh Naval asserted that the rise in the cases can be attributed to more people coming forward for testing. “The curfew is aimed at controlling crowding at public and market places. It does not mean closing down businesses or markets which will function as usual,” the collector said, adding that the call on the functioning of schools in the district has to be taken by respective schools.

No Possibility of the Imposition of Lockdown

When asked about imposition of lockdown in the district, the officer said that there is no possibility of imposition of a lockdown again in the district. “The first lockdown was imposed because there were no facilities. Now, we are equipped with all facilities. There is no dearth of oxygen cylinders and ventilators at hospitals. So there is no chance of another lockdown.”

Maharashtra Overtakes Kerala as the Highest Contributor to New Covid Cases

Maharashtra has since again overtaken Kerala by recording the highest number of coronavirus cases. The state had recorded 3,365 new cases, higher than Kerala’s count of 2,884 on Monday.

Strict Action Likely to be Taken

Speaking to reporters in Aurangabad, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar expressed displeasure over people not following the pandemic-appropriate behaviour and violating guidelines.

He also said that the government may have to take strict action if cases continue to rise. “I have come across ((reports that) people are not following the COVID-19 guidelines which are aimed at checking the spread of the infection. If the situation worsens, we may need to pay a heavy cost for this carelessness. The number (of new cases in the state) is alarming. We have seen that lockdown was imposed in many parts of the world again in view of the second wave of the pandemic,” he said.