Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray stated Sunday that a decision on reopening hotels and restaurants in Maharashtra will be taken soon after finalising Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). “SoPs for reopening hotels and restaurantsare being finalised. Once that is done, a decision on reopening hotels and restaurants will be taken soon,” the Chief Minister was quoted as saying by PTI.
Maharashtraâs Covid-19 case count crossed two lakh with a record single-day spike of 7,074 new cases on Saturday. Fatalities in the state continued to rise with 295 deaths, taking the toll to 8,671. Of these 124 were reported in the last 48 hours, while the remaining between March and end-May.
With 1,163 new cases, Mumbai now has 83,237 cases. The city recorded 68 deaths due to coronavirus in the last 48 hours, taking its toll to 4,762. Dharavi, on Saturday recorded its lowest increase in cases at two, taking the total count from the highly congested and one of the largest slums to 2,311.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said that a decision on reopening hotels and restaurants will be taken soon after finalising a standard operating procedure (SOP) to be followed by the industry.
Interacting with representatives of associations of hotel managements through video conference, Uddhav said: “There are no hurdles in reopening hotels but they will have to adhere to the SOP formulated by the state government. The SOP is being prepared and will be finalised soon. Then, the decision on reopening hotels and restaurants can be taken. Read more here
A decision on reopening hotels and restaurants in Maharashtra will be taken soon after finalising Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Sunday. Interacting with various associations of hotels and lodges, the CM said the hotel industry played a crucial role in the tourism sector.
Addressing another meeting, the CM has appealed to companies not to retrench their workers even if there is a wage cut. "SoPs for reopening hotels and restaurantsare being finalised. Once that is done, a decision on reopening hotels and restaurants will be taken soon," the chief minister said in an online meeting.
In a bid to reopen industries in a staggered manner in the state, the Thackeray government had last month launched the 'Mission Begin Again' or Unlock 1. Urging the hotel industry not to retrench workersas the 'Mission Begin Again' is underway, the CM said reopening would be done carefully with the emphasis on health and safety. "(Factors like) SoPs, regulation and self regulation, work force strength, health safety measures etc. are very much important," Thackeray said. (PTI)
Expressing dissatisfaction over lack of coordination between authorities and concerned over ‘alarming situation’ in Aurangabad district, the Bombay High Court Aurangabad bench, in a significant order said that it may visit quarantine facilities and hospitals to see whether the discipline is maintained and may give directions to register a case against those not discharging their duties regardless of their ranks. The court had also observed that while officers working in Dharavi, Malegaon and Kerala ensured containing the Covid-19 spread in these areas, the same could not be said of Jalgaon and Aurangabad as some of the officials were not properly discharging their duties.
State minister Aaditya Thackeray has said the priority of the government is to tackle the pandemic situation and other things are secondary, PTI reported. The state environment and tourism minister was talking to reporters in Thane on Saturday evening while he was here to take stock of the Covid-19 situation and measures undertaken by civic bodies in the district to contain the disease. Asked about the opposition's criticism that the government was unable to properly tackle the Covid-19 crisis, Thackeray said, "Let them do their work, we will keep on doing our work. Our priority at present is to deal with the Covid-19 situation and break the virus chain, other things are secondary."
In a bid to check overcharging by private hospitals, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has ordered an audit of charges levied by hospitals treating coronavirus patients, a civic official said on Sunday, PTI reported. Four teams of auditors have been formed to audit bills of 15 hospitals here in Maharashtra, the official said. The order was issued by TMC Commissioner Dr Vipin Sharma on Saturday after complaints that some hospitals were charging exorbitant amounts from patients, he said. If any hospital is found to be charging more than the permitted charges, then the TMC will issue a show-cause notice to the medical facility and order refund of the excess amount, Deputy Municipal Commissioner Vishwanath Kelkar said. The audit teams have been asked to verify at least 100 bills per day, he said. The civic body will also impose fines on hospitals found to be violating the civic instructions, he added.
In a step that will bring significant relief to ailing cooperative sugar mills in Maharashtra, the state government has asked them for a proposal to consider their pleas to grant government guarantee, so that they are able to raise capital for the upcoming season. As many as 58 of the 102 cooperative mills in the state have faced problems in raising capital due to their negative net disposable resource (NDR), ahead of what is expected to be a bumper crop season.
A 49-year-old man from Pimpri-Chinchwad has caught the attention of media after photos of him wearing a gold mask went viral. A resident of Indrayani Nagar in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Shankar Kurhade has got himself a gold mask made for around Rs 3 lakh. “I didn’t do it for publicity. I’m fond of gold,” he said. However, Kurhade said he was not sure if the gold mask will protect him from Covid-19. “It is not the gold or cloth mask, but social distancing and hand washing that will protect human beings from coronavirus (sic).”
The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation on Saturday issued new guidelines for home isolation of coronavirus positive patients, who have mild or moderate symptoms, or are asymptomatic. The revised guidelines are based on the directives of the Indian Council of Medical Research. “Though the new guidelines are based on ICMR directives, we have tweaked them to suit our local situation,” said Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar. Patients who have mild Covid-19 symptoms, but have other pre-existing illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and kidney ailment, will have to be sent to isolation wards. “There will be no home isolation for them. They will be discharged after seven days in isolation wards,” said the civic chief.
Pune Mayor and BJP leader Murlidhar Mohol tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday. Since the pandemic broke out, Mohol had led the city’s fight against the disease from the front, supervising efforts in hospitals and affected areas. He had also reached out to the state government as well as the Union government over various issues related to tackling the pandemic. The BJP leader had been instrumental in getting the PMC financial assistance from the corporate sector, as well as securing facilities to upgrade the health infratsurture needed for treating Covid-19 patients.
With 1,163 new cases, Mumbai now has 83,237 cases. The city recorded 68 deaths due to coronavirus in the last 48 hours, taking its toll to 4,762. Dharavi, on Saturday recorded its lowest increase in cases at two, taking the total count from the highly congested and one of the largest slums to 2,311.
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar's helicopter trip to Nashik in north Maharashtra during lockdown has sparked a controversy. Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal said on Saturday that he will order inquiry into the special permission which the actor reportedly obtained for the air travel and stay at a resort in Nashik during the visit earlier this week. While the actor's spokespersons did not offer any comment immediately, sources said he flew to Nashik with a special permission to see a doctor.
"I read about his visit to Nashik in newspapers today. I have no idea when he came and left. I will have to check," Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bhujbal, who is also the 'guardian minister' of the district, told reporters in Nashik. "I will have to check, where he lived etc. I have received complaints about how he could be allowed to stay in a resort (amid coronavirus outbreak). We will ask the police to look into it. I have no idea who gave him the permission, why it was given. Officials will be questioned if something wrong has happened," the senior NCP leader added.
The Cine And TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA) on Saturday met Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to discuss the guidelines issued by the state government that restricts senior actors from returning to work amid the coronavirus scare. The production of TV shows, web series and films, which were stopped mid-March in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak in the country, were in May allowed to restart in non-containment zones with stringent safety guidelines. As per the guidelines, artistes and crew above 65 years of age are not allowed to resume work.
CINTAA Senior Vice President Manoj Joshi said he briefed the Maha Governor about senior citizens, who have families dependent on them for livelihood, and apprised him that they already have had no work for the past three months.
Around 11,000 inmates have been released temporarily from Maharashtra jails so far to reduce crowding in view of coronavirus outbreak, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Saturday. He was speaking to reporters after a visit to Nagpur Central Jail where 41 inmates and 56 staff tested positive for the infection in the last four days. "There are 37,000 inmates in Maharashtra's jails. Of these, 11,000, including those facing up to seven years imprisonment, have been released on parole to maintain social distancing norms in prisons. So far, 414 prisoners have tested positive for novel coronavirus in the state, and 281 of them have been released on parole," he said.
"A total of 162 prison staff have tested positive so far. Nine jails have been placed under lockdown to control the virus spread," he added.
3,395 patients were discharged, taking the number of recovered patients to 1,08,082. There are 83,311 active cases in the state now while 10,80,975 people have been tested, said the health department.
Instances of wall collapse, uprooting of trees and waterlogging were reported in Maharashtra as heavy rains lashed large parts of the western state, including Mumbai, for the second day on Saturday. However, there were no casualties. North India witnessed predominantly sultry weather, with Punjab and Haryana recording above-normal day temperatures. Rainfall was recorded at isolated places in Uttar Pradesh.
Mumbai suburbs and neighbouring Thane have received more than 100 mm rainfall since Saturday morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Interior Maharashtra also received fairly widespread rainfall, it said. The Colaba weather station in south Mumbai recorded 66 mm rainfall between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm, while the Santacruz station recorded 111.4 mm rainfall, according to the IMD.
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Maharashtra's COVID-19 case tally crosses two lakh with record single-day spike of7,074 new cases, 295 fatalities take death toll to 8,671: health department.
Mumbai police on Saturday tweaked its 2-kilometre radius diktat imposed to curb needless travel during the coronavirus-induced lockdown and allowed people to move around in the nearby neighbourhood. In a tweet, the police said people were "permitted shopping closer to home (5am-9pm)" and asked them not to forget IDs and other documents while travelling for work.
It also said night curfew was in force between 9pm to 5am with exemptions only for essential travel, including for medical and travel purposes. The instruction to not travel beyond 2 kilometres during the lockdown was issued by police on Sunday, while prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC were imposed on Wednesday.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday told the officials in Mumbai that coordination was necessary to tackle the coronavirus pandemic as well as monsoon-related illnesses in the city. He held a review meeting with officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), an official release said.
The need of the hour was to increase tracing and testing of suspected coronavirus patients, he said. Mortality rate of the pandemic in the city too should be reduced, the chief minister said. BMC officials were working hard to contain the pandemic and even the central team had praised their efforts, he noted. "The war is not over yet," he said.
Institutional quarantine facilities should also be increased, Thackeray said.
Only two new coronavirus patients were detected in Dharavi area of Mumbai on Saturday, taking its case tally to 2,311, a senior Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said. The area, known as Asia's largest slum cluster, has recorded such a small rise in COVID-19 cases for the first time since the first week of April. The BMC did not reveal if any fresh virus-related death has been reported in the area. The civic body has
stopped giving information about deaths in the area for the past few days.
On June 23, Dharavi had reported only five new coronavirus cases. The area has now 519 active COVID-19 cases with 1,704 patients having been discharged after recovery. Dharavi, spread over 2.5 square kilometres, has a population of around 6.5 lakh. As of Friday, average doubling rate of coronavirus cases for seven days in the area was 140 days and average growth rate of cases was 0.55 per cent.
(PTI Inputs)
No passenger flights will operate to Kolkata from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Nagpur and Ahmedabad from July 6 to July 19 or till further orders, whichever is earlier: Kolkata airport
Rajasthan BJP has shown how to stand shoulder to shoulder with people, no matter if we are in the power or out of the power. Very inspiring!: PM Narendra Modi after reviewing relief works by BJP workers in Rajasthan during the lockdown
Some believed that COVID-19 will spread more in east India due to high poverty; people proved it wrong: PM Modi to Bihar BJP workers
Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday alleged that there was lack of coordination among the three constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and also between Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his cabinet in the fight against COVID-19. Fadnavis also said that the MVA constituents keep saying that they stand with the chief minister, but their actions do not reflect so. The Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly also called for coordinated efforts and single-command decision-making while facing the pandemic.
The GSB Seva Mandal based in King's Circle area of Mumbai has asked Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for permission to retain the height of its Ganesh idol at the traditional 14 feet. Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations are scheduled to begin on August 22.
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the state has asked organisations that install such idols to curtail the height to four feet and scale down celebrations so as to adhere to social distancing norms and lockdown orders. In a statement, GSB Seva Mandal trustee RG Bhat said change in height would create hurdles as the eco-friendly idol is adorned with pre-moulded gold and silver jewellery.
The statement said there would be no immersion of the idol this time and darshan for devotees would be online while prasad distribution would be through e-commerce platforms. All social distancing standards will be maintained, and no crowd or darshan will be allowed, he added. He said a letter has been sent to CM Thackeray with a request to allow the idol to be 14 feet tall.
Family of a 64-year-old man who succumbed to coronavirus infection in neighbouring Navi Mumbai has alleged that he had to be kept in an ambulance for a whole day before he could be admitted to a hospital.
When he was finally admitted, the family did not have the money to buy an injection that cost Rs 32,000. The man, who performed in a music band, died on June 25. "He developed coughing and breathing problem on June 20. We took him to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation's (NMMC) COVID hospital at Vashi," his son told PTI. "There was no bed with oxygen supply available, so I was asked to go to another hospital," he said.
"I asked them to tell us where to go, but they did not guide us and only said go to a private hospital," he said. "Then I started searching for a hospital. After a few hospitals refused to admit him, I called a cardiac ambulance and put my father in it because he needed oxygen support," said the son, who also performs in a music band. The next day the man was admitted to a private hospital in Kopar Khairane area.
The Maharashtra government has set up committees headed by district collectors to monitor treatment and health facilities in COVID hospitals. A GR on this was published recently, which also stated that COVID hospitals must have CCTV facilities, which should be made available when the committees visit. Every hospital must have a help desk where kin can call up or meet the patient, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Friday, adding that the decision to form committees in all districts, except Mumbai, was based on a Supreme Court order. "District civil surgeon, municipal commissioners, deans of medical colleges, heart specialists, Indian Medical Association (IMA) members among others will be members. There will be a separate 12-member committee for Mumbai which will be headed by the municipal commissioner," officials said.
Four days after a police constable’s family refused to take his body, KEM hospital finally conducted a post-mortem on Thursday to find out if he was infected with Covid-19. For the last four days, the constable’s body was kept in the mortuary of the hospital. Constable Mangesh Kamble (47), who was posted in the Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC), lived in BDD chawl number 70 in Worli, which was just four buildings away from his office. On June 29, while getting ready for work he fainted and collapsed at home. Neighbours and colleagues took him to KEM hospital, where he died within an hour of admission.
While disposing of a batch of pleas seeking various relief for prisoners in view of the Covid-19 outbreak in jails across Maharashtra, the Bombay High Court on Thursday accepted assurances made by the state government and directed it to conduct random tests of inmates as required. The prison authorities were directed to refer for testing any inmate in case of physical discomfort and who shows symptoms of Covid-19. The court also asked the authorities to notify details of nearly 37 temporary jails it has formed across nearly 27 districts, which are also to be used as makeshift quarantine or Covid-19 care centres, on its website.
With sowing for the kharif season having taken off across Maharashtra at a very good speed, aided along by a plentiful monsoon so far, a large percentage of the state’s rural labour has been absorbed by agriculture, indicated by rapidly dipping numbers of workers present at job sites under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). While 7.59 lakh unskilled labourers were present at job sites on June 7 at the peak of a record demand for work under MGNREGA, attendance of labourers at these job sites on June 30 was 2.74 lakh, after dipping by two-thirds to 2.5 lakh on June 26, a rapid slide witnessed in about three weeks.
Expressing dismay at ICMR’s announcement about “launching” a coronavirus vaccine by August 15, Adar Poonawalla, president of Indian Vaccine Manufacturers’ Association, said it was important that necessary processes are followed. “Safety and efficacy of the vaccine is most important, we must not bypass processes that ensure that. Phase I, II and III studies need to be properly conducted before the product is licensed and injected into the public. Phase I takes a few months, Phase II another few months and we go ahead from there. We are struggling to understand how the vaccine can be launched so fast,” Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, told The Indian Express.
The surge of Covid-19 cases in the city can be gauged from the fact that one in every five suspected cases has tested positive in a span of seven days, from June 26 to July 2. If the 23,521 people tested in one week by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), which has scaled up testing majorly, 4,847 tested positive for the infection. “The civic body reported 20.6 per cent positive patients from the total tests done in a week. This means one in every five suspected patient has tested positive in the week,” said a civic officer. Across June, however, a total of 77, 397 persons were tested for Covid-19, and 10,756 tested positive, which is 13.90 per cent of the total tests. The increasing number of patients has reduced the doubling rate to 19.15 days as against 24 days.
For the second time since last month, the special parcel services started by the Central Railway (CR) to provide supplies for residents of Matheran during lockdown, using toy trains, was suspended due to poor response. The toy train service was started on May 22 to provide essential food items to nearly 5,000 residents of Matheran, which is an ecologically sensitive zone (ESZ) with restrictions on movement of vehicles. It was, however, suspended on June 2 due to poor response. The service was resumed on June 27, only to be stopped again on July 1.
Bhiwandi-Nizampur, which witnessed 1223 per cent spike with Covid-19 cases from 176 on June 2 to 2,330 cases on July 3, will soon get a dedicated test centre. Health Minister Rajesh Tope, who in Bhiwandi on Thursday, announced the new lab will be set up at IGM Hospital. With a capacity to test up to 200 samples in 15-16 hours, the centre is expected to release as many reports within 24 hours, officials said. “Once we have our own machinery, we will save transportation time and we can conduct a minimum 200 test in 15-16 hours. If we get multiple machineries then we will have more test results that shall help us in identifying the patients faster and treating them at the earliest,” Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Commissioner Pankaj Aashiya said.
The Pune district collectorate has decided to get stricter with people regarding marriages, marriage-related rituals, and engagements, which are being conducted in violation of distancing norms and rules for gathering as stipulated by the central government in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. “I will issue a circular to this effect; it is the responsibility of families concerned to inform police that they are conducting a marriage or engagement ceremony at a particular place. If certain number of marriage ceremonies are taking place at a marriage hall, then it will also be the responsibility of the owner of the hall to intimate to the nearest police station about the number of marriages and the proposed dates,” said District Collector Naval Kishore Ram, also the District Disaster Management Authority.
Former Opposition leader and PCMC corporator Datta Sane succumbed to coronavirus early this morning. He was 48 and was a three-time corporator.
Maintaining that civic authorities should continue to follow guidelines for handling and disposal of bodies of Covid-19 victims to preserve the dignity of all citizens, the Bombay High Court on Friday said safety of persons involved in conducting last rites should be ensured and that no citizen staying near crematoriums should be put at “unnecessary distress”. “We, however, hope and trust that the corporation shall continue to earnestly adhere to and enforce the extant guidelines so that life of each and every citizen is preserved and that they are not put to unnecessary distress as a result of the contagion,” the HC said.
Amid reports the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party were upset after the latest lockdown measures were initiated in Mumbai and its neighbouring districts without taking them into confidence, NCP president Sharad Pawar on Friday met Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to discuss the prevailing the Covid-19 situation and maintaining coordination among the three allies of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Read more here
Maintaining that civic authorities should continue to follow guidelines for handling and disposal of bodies of Covid-19 victims to preserve the dignity of all citizens, the Bombay High Court on Friday said safety of persons involved in conducting last rites should be ensured and that no citizen staying near crematoriums should be put at “unnecessary distress”. Read more here