In order to tackle the situation, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday warned of a possible lockdown in the state.Coronavirus second wave in India: The Covid-19 situation in India is getting worse day by day as several states have been reporting their highest ever single-day spike in the number of coronavirus infections for the past few weeks. The daily count of Covid-19 cases crossed the critical 90,000-mark on Sunday even as the vaccination drive picked up the pace with India vaccinating all above 45 years from April 1. There has been a clamour to open vaccines for all age groups in order to limit the spread of virus infection. However, health experts and senior officials are of the view that ‘people flouting Covid-19 rules — especially mask discipline and social distancing — is one of the major reasons for the surge of Covid-19 second wave in the country.
India reported 93,249 new cases on Sunday, taking the Covid-19 tally to 1,24,85,509. The country yesterday reported 89,129 new Covid-19 cases—the highest single-day spike in the world, US (70,024 cases) and (Brazil 69,662 cases); out of India’s 89,129 cases, Maharashtra, the worst-affected state in the country, alone accounted for 49,447 fresh infections— its highest since the Covid-19 pandemic has started last year. The state now has 4.01 lakh active cases, compared to 1.3 lakh cases on March 15—more than a threefold rise in just over two weeks.
In order to tackle the situation, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday warned of a possible lockdown in the state, urging everyone to follow Covid-19 guidelines. Thackeray had said that he would consult experts and political leaders in a day or two before taking a decision on restrictions and lockdown. According to sources, the state government is likely to issue new Covid-19 guidelines today, as reported by The Indian Express. During a meeting with Marathi film industry representatives and multiplex owners, he said, “We need to move forward with ‘life first and then work’. For this, some steps have to be taken. We can’t ignore the situation and will have to make all efforts to break the chain of infection.”
Maharashtra not alone, several other states have been witnessing peaks in Covid-19 infection. The Union Health Ministry on Friday said that the Covid-19 situations in 11 states —Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, and Haryana — are of grave concern. As India stares at yet another health emergency with Coronavirus infections inching towards the all-time peak, here are the latest, verified news updates on lockdowns and other rules from the states and around the globe: