New Delhi: One of the reasons behind rising coronavirus cases in Maharashtra is the resumption of local train services for the general public, said Corona Task Force member Dr. Shashank Joshi.  Notably, the local train services, considered a lifeline in Mumbai region returned to full services for the general public from Feb 2 after a gap of 10 months. Since then the there has been a spike in new coronavirus cases in Mumbai.

The financial capital witnessed coronavirus cases rising above the 500 mark in the second week of this month, despite strict COVID-19 restrictions. 721, 736, and 823 new corona cases were detected on February 17, 18, and 19. However, in January, the state had reported around 300-400 cases on average.

“This (resumption of local train services) is a fact and one of the reasons behind the increase in corona outbreaks”, Dr Shashank Joshi told India Today, when asked about spike in coronavirus cases.

It was also reported that Covid-19 restrictions like social distancing and mask-wearing have gone for a toss since the resumption of local train services.