Situation to be analysed before decision: Maha Health Min clarifies on Lockdown extension

Amidst the rising number of coronavirus cases in Mumbai, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Monday said that no one should be under the impression of the complete lifting of lockdown in the state after April 15. Tope said the Health Department will discuss the situation with the chief minister and later with the Union ministry before taking any decision regarding relaxing the lockdown.

"No one should be under the impression of complete lifting of lockdown from April 15 onwards. The situation between April 10 to 15 will be closely analysed before taking a decision on the lockdown," he told reporters.

Meanwhile,  33 more cases were detected in Maharashtra on Monday, taking the state tally up to 781. The death toll due to novel coronavirus rose to 109 and the number of cases in the country climbed to 4,067 on Monday, according to the Union Health Ministry. While the number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 3,666, as many as 291 people were cured and discharged, and one has migrated, it stated. The total number of cases includes 65 foreign nationals.

This comes at a time when the healthcare professions are already facing dire situations, with rising criticism over the lack of provisions for protective medical gear to tackle the viral pandemic. The Congress on Saturday lambasted the government stating that the health professionals were 'risking their lives without proper care' amid the health crisis. The party further noted that the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) manufacturers in India had claimed 'delayed response' from the government to tackle the global pandemic. Sharing multiple news reports through the video, the Congress party further underlined that more doctors and medical staff were getting infected with Coronavirus. 

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Meanwhile, keeping in mind the commitment of the Mumbai Police in handling the COVID-19 lockdown, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Saturday distributed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), masks and sanitizers to Mumbai police personnel. "We want our police officials to remain safe while they are on duty amid coronavirus lockdown," he said. 

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