Centre worried about Maharashtra, Eight of India’s 10 worst-hit COVID-19 districts are now in the state

The Union Health Ministry has raised concerned over a sharp surge in coronavirus cases in Maharashtra calling it a tipping point for the state.

The ministry also remarked that eight of the 10 cities with the highest number of active cases belong to Maharashtra. The top four are – Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur and Thane. Other districts included are -- Amravati, Jalgaon, Nashik and Aurangabad.

The Centre is "very worried" about the upsurge in coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, said NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul, adding the virus cannot be taken for granted if the country has to remain coronavirus-free and for this, there is a need to follow a COVID-appropriate behaviour.

This statement comes soon after a week-long complete lockdown was imposed in Nagpur.

The Indian Council For Medical Research (ICMR) chief also stated that the surge in Maharashtra is definitely not connected to mutants. It is due to large gatherings and lack of COVID-appropriate behaviour. Testing of close contacts, fast contact-tracing, mass testing in hotspots and audit of deaths are some of the measures the state government is taking to stem the growth of the virus.

Besides, Health Ministry secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that Maharashtra has more than 1 lakh active cases. Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Haryana are at the tipping point. We have had three meetings with these States where they have been told to pull up their socks.

The number of active cases have been doubled in Maharashtra compared to last year. As a result, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray warned that more districts may face lockdown.

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Moreover, the government will hold a special meeting with officials before coming out with the lockdown measures.

Meanwhile, districts such as Thane, Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad are under stringent night curfews and weekend lockdowns to curb the spread.

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At present, Maharashtra is the worst-hit state with the pandemic in the country. On Thursday, March 11, the state reported 13,659 daily coronavirus cases, which is 60 per cent of the country's single-day total.