MUMBAI: A day after the state task force on Covid-19 warned that the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic could be just two to four weeks away, the state government said it would stick to the five-level unlock system that was introduced two weeks ago.
State public health minister Rajesh Tope, confirming that the unlock process was here to stay, said district administrations have been told to ensure strict compliance to norms, especially after reports that crowds increased after restrictions were eased.
The state and the city reported a dip in cases on Thursday. The state reported 9,830 new cases and 236 fatalities, taking the total caseload to 59.4 lakh and, with the addition of 400 old deaths, the death toll to 1,16,026.
Mumbai reported 660 cases and 20 fatalities, taking the total cases to 7.17 lakh and the death toll to 15,247.
Aseem Gupta, principal secretary, state relief and rehabilitation department, said that the five levels serve the dual purpose of unlocking and locking areas based on the positivity rate.“The success of this system will depend on how fast the administration reacts to an increase in numbers,” Gupta said.
He said there was a possibility of reintroducing lockdowns in a graded manner, should the caseload increase during the third wave. “It must be realised that these levels are not cast in stone — if the government feels that the cases are rising in an alarming manner, it will react immediately and impose stricter measures,” Gupta said.
A state official said that while the number of positive cases have been steadily on a decline, some of the smaller districts with limited infrastructure continue to have a high burden of active cases. Sindhudurg, for instance, has 656 active cases per lakh population, while Ratnagiri has 464 per lakh. Raigad has 175 active cases per lakh population, while Sangli and Satara have more than 300 and 400 cases, respectively.
Mumbai and Thane have 148 and 127 active cases per lakh population, respectively.
Dr Pramod Gavi, acting civic surgeon of Raigad, said the district was seeing over 600 cases daily.
