MUMBAI: In the wake of the Central government’s advice to the state to monitor and control any emerging spread of coronavirus, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday said the situation in the state is under control and there is no need to panic.
The Centre has advised Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra and Mizoram to maintain a strict watch and take pre-emptive action, if required, in the areas of concern. Tope, while claiming that the state is keeping a close tab on the situation, said they will make the “right decision at the right time”.
He said that even though wearing a face mask is not mandatory in the state, senior citizens and persons with comorbidities must cover their faces when they venture outside as a precaution. Maharashtra on Wednesday recorded 162 fresh coronavirus cases, more than half of them in Mumbai alone, while no new death linked to the infection was registered, the health department said. With this, the state’s overall Covid tally rose to 78,76,203, while the death toll remained unchanged at 1,47,830.
“There were 137 cases (on Tuesday) in Maharashtra, including 85 in Mumbai. The state had earlier seen 60,000 cases a day. So, the present situation in the state is under control and there is no need to panic,” Tope said. “The vaccination coverage is good and the state government is encouraging inoculation of children in the age groups of 12 to 15 and 15 to 18 years,” he said.