A day after the city and state reported the highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases after three months, the officials and experts have warned that the next ten days are very crucial for Maharashtra and Mumbai if the citizens do not adhere to the COVID protocols strictly.
Officials said the cases have increased due to aggressive testing but this time everyone has to be very serious with coronavirus protocols. Moreover, all the ward officers have been directed to adopt appropriate preventive measures to curb the cases. Health experts have urged citizens to avoid gatherings at public places and follow social distancing norms otherwise cases will increase which will be the sign of the second wave and restriction will be the last option.
Suresh Kakani, Additional Municipal Commissioner, said currently there is no need for imposing lockdown as the cases have increased due to aggressive testing and increase in number of contact tracings.
In the last three days, more than 50,000 COVID testing has been done across the city, of which nearly 3,000 cases have been reported with a positivity rate less than 10 per cent.
“We are urging citizens to follow COVID protocols as we do not want the same situation as it was in the month of June, July and September when cases were on peak. Moreover we have intensified all our protocols to curb the cases and have alerted all the ward officers to take strict action if the cases in their area have surged,” he said.
Dr Subhash Salunkhe, technical adviser to the Maharashtra government on COVID-19, said it is very difficult to say whether this is a second wave, but the virus is showing a concentrated spurt in some areas like Vidarbha, starting from Nagpur, Amravati to Aurangabad (located in Marathwada region). Now, the virus is slowly getting transmitted to other districts like Pune and Mumbai,
"If we do not control it, it will spread to other states in the country. Whether it will spread 100 per cent, nobody is sure, but yes, it has the potential," he said.
Health experts said that there is no need for any new strategy to tackle the situation as the existing strategies are quite adequate and effective. “Lockdown is the last resort. Setting up of micro- containment zones, restrictions on movement in containment areas, increased surveillance, contact-tracing and increase in testing and isolation of active cases are some of the key steps which can check spread of the virus," he said.
