Maharashtra
Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday said 100 per cent lockdown is not a
need of the hour as COVID-19 cases continue to surge. But he emphasised the
need to impose restrictions to limit public movement.

Also Read: Amid COVID-19 surge, Tamil Nadu imposes Sunday lockdown: What’s closed, what’s open

Talking to
reporters after a meeting with the state’s COVID-19 Task Force and officials of
the health, planning and finance departments, Tope said the state reported over
16,000 cases on Tuesday, and the number could rise to 25,000 on Wednesday.

He said the
silver lining is that 90 per cent of the cases are asymptomatic. Of the 10 per
cent symptomatic patients, only one to two per cent needed to be hospitalised.
The state has seen a sharp rise in the daily cases since the last two weeks.

Also Read: Australian Open: Djokovic to be sent home if COVID vaccine proof insufficient

Non-essential activities have to be stopped 

“The Task
Force has used the term augmented restrictions, which means if the cases rise
like this…we don’t have to use the term lockdown. Hundred per cent lockdown
is not certainly required as of today,” the minister said.

He said
restrictions means that non-essential activities have to be stopped. “Wherever
crowding takes place, there have to be restrictions, but it is not the case
that it (curbs) should be brought today,” Tope said.

Also Read: COVID vaccine for children: All you need to know

Tope also
said recommendations of the Task Force will be discussed with Chief minister
Uddhav Thackeray.

The
minister, meanwhile, stressed increasing the speed of immunisation against
COVID-19 and focusing on those who have not taken the jabs and third dose for
frontline workers.

Also Read: Centre asks states to impose district-level restrictions amid COVID surge

As the
cases rise, an aggressive focus will also be on information, education and
communication activities on the precautions to be taken after testing positive
for the coronavirus, he said.

Mumbai
Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Tuesday said if the daily COVID-19 cases cross the
20,000-mark, a lockdown will be imposed in the city as per the Union
government’s rules. She had also suggested that people wear triple-layer masks
while travelling by public buses and local trains.

Also Read: Delhi imposes night curfew from today: List of exemptions

The mayor
had also appealed to citizens to get vaccinated at the earliest and follow all
COVID-19-related standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Mumbai alone reported over 10,000 cases 

Mumbai
reported 10,860 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, up 34.37 per cent from a day ago
and the highest daily count since April 7, 2021, while two more patients
succumbed to the infection, as per the city civic body.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has discontinued physical classes in colleges till February 15, amid the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the state.

“Amid rising COVID cases, Maharashtra govt to discontinue physical classes in colleges,universities till February 15. All exams in the said institutions to be conducted online till February 15,” Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant told news agency ANI.

Also Read: Rise of COVID cases in Delhi: A list of those exempted during weekend curfew

On
Wednesday, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh imposed restrictions, including night
curfew, in the wake of a rise in COVID-19 cases in the states. Earlier, several
Indian states were forced to impose restrictions in the face of a surge in
COVID cases.