Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday held a meeting with a Central team which is reviewing the COVID-19 situation in the state and instructed Nagpur and Amravati divisional commissioners to remain alert after the team observed high positivity rate in four districts there.
According to an official statement, the three-member team, led by National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) director Sujit Singh arrived in Maharashtra last Friday and has so far visited Mumbai, Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal and Nagpur.
The Central team noted that Mumbai, Thane and Palghar have reported more active cases prevailing in the state, but the number of new patients in these districts had gone down, it said.
The team observed that the positivity rate was higher in rural areas of Vidarbha, particularly in Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal and Bhandara districts.
"After taking stock, the CM said the number of new COVID-19 cases is going down day by day due to the steps taken by Maharashtra," the statement said.
"The chief minister, however, asked (officials) to think seriously about why the number of patients is going up in rural areas of Nandurbar and Bhandara compared to urban areas. He asked Nagpur and Amravati divisional commissioners to ensure the machinery in their jurisdiction are alert," the statement said.
Meanwhile, state health minister Rajesh Tope, who also attended the meeting, said the state government will focus on bringing down the positivity rate in the areas where it is high.
The genomic sequencing of patients in these areas will be checked, the official release quoted Tope as saying.
It added that Maharashtra had 24 per cent of active cases in the country, as against Kerala's figure of 40 per cent.
