Commuters are seen wearing masks on Tilak road in Pune. (Express Photo: Arul Horizon) WITH THE increasing number of Covid-19 patients in the city, Mayor Murlidhar Mohol on Wednesday said it was necessary to be responsible to avoid a repeat of the situation witnessed during the peak.
“Newly infected patients have been increasing over the past few days. It is a cause for concern as active case count dropped to 1,383 in the first week of February while it has increased by 2,000 in a short span,” said Mohol.
The PMC reported 741 new and 382 recovered patients on Wednesday. The active case count has increased to 3,559. The city has witnessed an increase as well as decrease in active cases.
Mohol said, “There is a surge again and it is a matter of concern. The civic administration as well as the health sector is making all possible effort to contain the spread. Public health is the cumulative responsibility of all to ensure that there is no further spread.”
He added, “People should behave responsibly. We don’t want to witness the serious situation of the past that existed during the peak of the pandemic. We have been through worse. If the situation repeats itself, then no one can save us from lockdown. People should use masks, avoid crowds and sanitise hands regularly.”
The mayor said there was no shortage of beds for Covid-19 treatment, either in civic or Sassoon or private hospitals. “All categories of bed are available for treatment of patients. Private hospitals reduced reservation of beds for treatment of Covid-19 patients after the spread decreased. However, now instructions have been given to increase beds in big private hospitals,” he said.
Mohol also said he was hopeful that a situation did not arise where there was a shortage of beds. “If everyone behaves properly, then we would permanently get out of the difficult situation,” he added.
The current situation analysis indicates that the increase of new patients is in five to six out of 15 ward office areas. “Lockdown is going to be the last option. The strategy will now be to declare a micro-containment zone based on situation of the area,” he said, adding that testing has been increased to over 5,000 per day.
As an immediate measure, the PMC has declared all schools, colleges and coaching classes to be shut till February 28 and will review the situation to decide on further course of action.
– Stay updated with the latest Pune news. Follow Express Pune on Twitter here and on Facebook here. You can also join our Express Pune Telegram channel here.