Covid-19 in Maharashtra: State records 1.8 lakh new coronavirus cases in 6 days

Maharashtra, which is one of the worst affected states in terms of Covid-19 in India, has reported 1.8 lakh new coronavirus cases in just 6 days. Around 608 people have also lost their lives due to the deadly virus in the state.

As India reported about 62,258 new infections on Friday, 36,902, or 60 per cent, of the fresh cases came from Maharashtra, followed by Punjab and Gujarat. The Maharatra state is experiencing a continuous rise in Covid cases, which has necessitated state night curfew from March 28.

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray has said considering the rise in several cases, it seems public healthcare infrastructure may fall short. "Don't want to impose lockdown but looking at the rising number of cases it seems the present health infrastructure may fall short. Districts are advised to look into the availability of beds, health facilities, etc . Malls shall remain close between 8 pm and 7 am," the CM said on Friday.

Also read: COVID-19 in Maharashtra: Night curfew in state from March 28

Maharashtra is the first state in the country to impose state-wide restrictions after India's first Covid-induced lockdown on March 25, 2020. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also warned that "stringent decisions" would be taken if the COVID-19 situation in the Pune district did not improve in one week.

The cases in Maharashtra started rising rapidly after March 24 when it reported 31,855 fresh Covid-19 cases. Mumbai remains one of the most affected cities in the state. In the last six days alone, the financial capital of India, Mumbai, has reported 26,765 Covid-19 cases and 57 deaths.

At present, the state has over 2.82 lakh active Covid-19 cases. Nine out of 10 districts with the highest number of active Covid-19 cases are in Maharashtra, with Pune and Mumbai being the top two.

In the last 24 hours, Maharashtra has reported 36,902 cases, with Mumbai reporting 5,513 new cases and 9 new fatalities. The coronavirus doubling rate reached 68 days in Mumbai. Other districts like Nashik, Nagpur, Nanded, Beed, and Parbhani are also reporting a significant rise in Covid-19 cases.

Also read: Enforce COVID protocols during Holi, Shab-e-Barat, Easter: MHA to states