Tag: Nagpur Lockdown

By PTI
NGAPUR: A week-long lockdown with strict curbs came into force in Nagpur on Monday to contain the rise in COVID-19 cases and officials warned of stern action against those violating the protocols here in Maharashtra.

Nagpur Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar visited some of the main roads here in the morning and reviewed the implementation of the lockdown, which will remain in force till March 21.

According to the district administration, unnecessary movement of people will not be allowed on streets.

Kumar said there are 99 check points across Nagpur and eight on the city’s border.

Besides, 99 mobile patrolling vehicles, two companies of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), sixplatoons of the RCP (riot control police) and 500 Home Guards were deployed for proper implementation of the lockdown, he said.

The official said during the lockdown, only one person would be allowed to travel on a two-wheeler and two persons in a four-wheeler.

However, two persons will be permitted on a two- wheeler only if they have to go to a hospital or for vaccination, he said.

Residents of Nagpur were being allowed to travel to other cities as per guidelines laid down by the district administration.

Passenger and goods vehicles going out or passing through Nagpur were allowed to move via the Outer Ring Road, according to police.

In view of the curbs, the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court will hear matters through video-conferencing from Monday till March 21.

Nagpur Guardian Minister Nitin Raut on Thursday announced the week-long “strict lockdown” in the wake of a surge in COVID-19 cases here.

On Sunday, the district reported 2,252 new cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths to the disease.

The COVID-19 tally in the district stood at 1,70,502, as per official data.

By PTI
MUMBAI: Maharashtra has been recording a substantial rise in coronavirus cases of late, with the authorities attributing it to crowding witnessed during the grampanchayat elections held mid-January this year and a widespread disregard for the norms by common people as well as politicians.

The state on Thursday recorded 14,317 fresh infection cases, which is not only the highest so far in 2021, but also since October 7 last year.

The overall case count till Thursday night was 22,66,374.

Not only Mumbai, Pune and Thane, but several cities and towns in Maharashtra, including Vidarbha and Marathwada regions, have been witnessing spike in cases.

Lockdown or restrictions have been imposed in several cities or districts in the state in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus.

On February 21, Maharashtra had crossed the 21 lakh- mark of COVID-19 cases.

Exactly a month before that (on January 21), there were 20,00,878 cases in the state and it took only a month to add another one lakh cases after that.

However, another one lakh case were added in merely 13 days (after February 21), which shows the increased speed of the infection spread.

On March 6, the state’s caseload reached 22,08,586 and in the last six days (till Thursday evening), the state added 57,788 cases to the tally.

Dr Subhash Salunke, advisor to the Maharashtra government on COVID-19 management, said, “There should have been rigorous testing of people and contact tracing. These are the two basic but the most important tools of curbing the coronavirus spread.”

The earlier you trace and isolate an infected person, the sooner you can bring the situation under control, he said.

The most prominent reason behind the surge in COVID-19 cases in February was crowding witnessed during when grampanchyat elections held mid-January, he said.

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“Results of the grampanchayat elections in almost 12,000 villages were out in the third week of January. After that, the winning panels and their supporters gathered in their respective villages without wearing masks and ignoring physical distancing,” Salunke said.

As the incubation period of coronavirus is 14 days, Maharashtra started detecting more number of cases from mid- February, he added.

A Mumbai-based political observer said, “Look at the political rallies and gatherings that have taken place in January and February by ruling parties in the state, including after Nana Patole’s appointment as Congress’s Maharashtra unit chief.”

Patole not only organised a huge rally in Mumbai, but also visited several places including Nagpur later where his party workers and supporters ignored norms of wearing masks, physical distancing and others, he said.

The show of strength by the then state forest minister Sanjay Rathod in Washim and Yavatmal districts late last month was similar.

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Patole and Rathod could have avoided such large- scale crowding, but they did not bother at all, he said.

State BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhya said, “As these events were public and widely televised, it gave a wrong message to the society and many private groups also flouted COVID-19 norms.”

“On the first day of the budget session, a video grab of a late night party at a pub in Mumbai went viral showing people without masks. It also shows how poorly health officials and the BMC is managing the situation,” he added.