Amid a sharp increase in Covid cases across the country, some states have started considering restrictions to curb the further spread of infections. India reported 5,357 new infections in the last 24 hours, taking the active caseload to 32,814. Among the states where cases are rising are Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, and Kerala. With cases on the rise, some states have made masks mandatory.
List of states where curbs are back
Kerala
Kerala recorded 1,801 Covid cases on Saturday. The highest number of cases were reported from Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kottayam. The state, which was among the worst-hit states in the second wave, has made masks mandatory for pregnant women, the elderly, and those with lifestyle diseases. Health Minister Veena George said it was important to protect the elderly and bedridden patients from the disease.
The minister, after holding a high-level meeting to evaluate the Covid situation in the state, said infection-related deaths were mostly reported in people above 60 years and those with lifestyle diseases such as diabetes. "We have increased the testing. The hospital admission cases are increasing slightly," she said.
Haryana
Haryana has made wearing face masks mandatory in public places. The state has asked all the district administrations and panchayats to ensure people are adopting Covid appropriate behaviour. Haryana on Friday reported 407 fresh Covid infections, half of which were recorded in Gurugram. According to the health bulletin, Gurugram reported the highest number of cases at 206, followed by 72 in Panchkula and 53 in Faridabad.
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak, who also holds the health portfolio, has instructed the officers across the state to activate the Covid command centres in the districts and ensure the adequate availability of medicines and equipment. The government has instructed people to wear masks in hospitals. Hospitals have been asked to increase testing and send samples to the KGMU for genome sequencing. On Saturday, the number of active cases in the state crossed 1,000-mark. Amid a spike in cases, the state government also made Covid tests mandatory for anyone returning to the country from abroad.
Puducherry
Puducherry, too, has made masks compulsory in public places with immediate effect. In a statement, District Collector E Vallavan said with the union territory currently witnessing a surge in Covid cases, the territorial administration has enforced a slew of precautionary measures "to minimise the risk of increase in transmission of Covid-19 in the coming days". He said staff working in hospitals, hotels, restaurants, liquor shops, hospitality and entertainment sectors, government offices and commercial establishments should compulsorily wear masks.
Till Friday, the number of active cases in the union territory stood at 206 (seven patients in hospitals and 199 in home isolation). The test positivity rate today was 9.65 per cent. One woman patient hailing from Karaikal who had a brain tumour as co-morbidity died of Covid-19 at JIPMER a few days ago.
Covid spike in Odisha, Delhi, Maharashtra
Odisha
Odisha reported over a hundred new Covid after six months with 104 people testing positive for the virus on Friday. The easter state recorded 103 cases on October 12 last year. No fresh fatality has been recorded so far, and there are now 429 active cases in the state. Since the outbreak of Covid, 13,37,377 cases have been detected in the state. The state government has urged people not to panic over the rise in cases and suggested everyone adhere to Covid-appropriate behaviour, including wearing masks, avoiding crowded places, maintaining social distancing, and washing hands frequently.
Delhi
Delhi recorded 535 fresh Covid cases on Saturday with a positivity rate of 23.05 per cent. On Friday, the city reported 733 Covid cases -- the highest in more than seven months -- with a positivity rate of 19.93 per cent. The national capital recorded 620 cases on August 26, 2022. On Thursday, 606 cases were recorded with a positivity rate of 16.98 per cent. On Wednesday, the city logged a positivity rate of 26.54 per cent, the highest in nearly 15 months, with 509 people testing positive in a single day.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra on Saturday recorded 542 new cases of Covid, which raised the tally of infections to 81,49,141 and the death toll to 1,48,458. There has been a drop in infections since Friday when the state recorded 926 cases and three fatalities. With 668 patients recovering from the infection in the last 24 hours, the count of recoveries has reached 79,96,323, leaving the state with 4,360 active cases. Mumbai recorded 207 cases on Saturday, making it the fifth consecutive day that the city saw 200 plus infections.
(With inputs from PTI)