Maharashtra witnesses slight decline in cases after weekend lockdown

Maharashtra' witnessed a slight decline in coronavirus cases on Monday after a weekend lockdown (Friday 8 pm to Monday 7 am). The state reported 51,751 fresh coronavirus positive cases on April 12--the lowest one-day count since April 6, according to the state's health department. Previously on April 11, Maharashtra logged 63,294 COVID-19 cases, on April 10 (58,993), April 9 (58,993), April 8 (59,907), and April 7 (55,469), respectively. On April 6, Maharashtra's daily Covid count was 47,288.

New cases in Mumbai also fell to 6,893, from the previous day's 9,989 cases.

The state's cumulative case tally now stands at 34,58,996. In the past 24 hours, 258 people died from coronavirus infection in the state, taking the cumulative toll to 58,245. According to the health department of the state, Maharashtra is now left with 5,64,746 active cases. The state's recoveries have surged to 28,34,473.

Maharashtra's case recovery rate is 81.94 per cent and the fatality rate is 1.68 per cent. Currently, 32,75,224 people are in-home quarantine while 29,399 people are in institutional quarantine.

Maharashtra is the most severely hit state in the country. The state is responsible for over 50 per cent of COVID-19 cases in the country, as per the union health ministry data.  As a result, the Maharashtra government has taken several measures to contain the spread of the virus such as night curfew, weekend lockdown, and prohibitory orders for the daytime.

The state is also considering imposing a complete lockdown after April 14. Yesterday, Maharashtra's Health Minister Rajesh Tope informed media about the latest updates on the state's coronavirus situation. "Duration of the lockdown and how to handle its economic fallout was discussed during today's meeting. The task force is of the view that the prevailing coronavirus situation in the state is such that a lockdown is required," he said.Also read: Remdesivir for COVID-19 patients: No evidence of anti-viral drug's effectiveness, says WHO

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