COVID-19: Will form task force to study evolving situation, says Maha Deputy CM Fadnavis

Mumbai: Amid a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in some parts of the world, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the state government will form a task force or a committee to study the evolving situation. Raising the issue in the state Assembly, Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar said be it China, Japan, Korea or Brazil, new variants of COVID-19 are being reported.

In China, the situation is serious and there are no beds available for hospitalisation, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader claimed.

Will there be a high powered committee, task force to study the evolving situation and what is happening in other parts of the world, he asked.

In response, Fadnavis said, we will coordinate with the Centre on this. As suggested by the leader of opposition, we will form a task force or a committee to keep an eye on the evolving situation and make suggestions. We will definitely implement these suggestions."

Pawar said the state should rise above party lines to tackle this challenge. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday reviewed the COVID-19 situation in the country and directed officials to be alert and strengthen surveillance.

In view of the rise in cases in Japan, the United States of America, Republic of Korea, Brazil and China, the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday urged all states and Union territories to ramp up the whole genome sequencing of positive samples of COVID-19 to keep track of the emerging variants.

In a letter to states and UTs, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had said such an exercise will enable timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating in the country and will facilitate undertaking of requisite public health measures.