The spread of the novel
coronavirus has taken over the country by storm. India has crossed the 9 lakh mark in infected cases and the state of Maharashtra has been hit the worst. The ongoing crisis has increased the demand for virus preventive agents like masks and sanitizers across the state. The pandemic has also taken a toll on the financial situations of people, due to the lockdowns in major cities. In these tough times, the Maharashtra Government stated in a media report that they will be forming a committee to fix the rates of masks and sanitizers.
On Wednesday, after a meeting of the Food and Drug Administration Department,
State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that the state government will be appealing to the Centre to add masks and sanitizers in the list of essential commodities. The Health Minister further said that these need to be added under the Essential Commodities Act in order to make them more affordable for citizens throughout the state. He added that till the time there is no vaccine available, prevention is the best way to fight against Covid-19 virus. He also stated that all the advertisements, be it from the government bodies or other private agencies, have urged people to wear masks and use sanitizers to protect themselves from the deadly virus.
Recently, after complaints of overcharging, the State government had capped the rates of Covid-19 treatment as well as the rate of ambulance services in private hospitals. The Health Minister has stated that the request made to the Centre will be followed up in time and that the Law and Judiciary Department has been asked to immediately provide its input on the matter.
Maharashtra has recorded 7,975 new infected patients on Wednesday, taking the total tally of the sate to 2,75,640. The state recorded 223 new deaths and has taken the fatality toll to 10,695. However, the death rate in Maharashtra has dropped to less than 4 per cent for the first time in two months.
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