Maharashtra CM reviews COVID-19 situation; mulling to mandate masks in local trains

In view of a slight dip in COVID cases in Maharashtra, as the state continued reporting serious spikes in infections over the past few days, CM Uddhav Thackeray on Friday held a fresh round of discussions over the situation with senior government officials and further mulled the idea of mandating face masks in Mumbai local trains again. 

This consideration came in the view of the underlying fear of another transmission of cases in the state as it has remained the major contributor to the country's nationwide tally. In a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), it said that CM Thackeray reviewed the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the state, as Maharashtra has been reporting a steady surge in fresh infections, especially in Mumbai and other big cities. 

Thackeray, who participated in the meeting, virtually spoke to the senior bureaucrats and further discussed the possibility of bringing the mask mandate back in the Mumbai local trains among the commuters. This option was explored as a measure to restrain the growing infection in the  Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the statement added. 

It is pertinent to note that the suburban trains running around Mumbai city are known for carrying thousands of passengers on a daily basis to their respective destinations. Being the lifeline of the city, these trains were also among the first sources of Covid transmission previously during which masks were made mandatory, and later, the movement of local trains was also suspended for a brief time. 

Earlier in April, Maharashtra had withdrawn its mandatory mask rule making it optional for people as cases started dropping steadily.

Maharashtra Covid situation

Over the past few days, Maharashtra has witnessed a constant rise in COVID-19 cases, especially in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Raigad, and Palghar districts. Earlier on Friday, while the state had recorded 4,205 fresh cases, a day after breaching the 5000-mark, Mumbai alone registered 1,898 infections. 

Though Mumbai witnessed a dip of 30% from the day before as it had earlier reported 2,479 cases on Thursday, the risk of further increase is not yet ruled out. 

Concerning the same, CM Thackeray, in his statement, urged that people need to follow COVID-19 appropriate behaviour (CAB) on their own. 

Image: Twitter/@OfficeofUT/PTI