Maharashtra reports 2916 COVID-19 positive cases with 187 deaths; lockdown measures relaxed

New Delhi: The coronavirus positive cases in Maharashtra now stands at 2916 with 232 more detections while the death toll rises by nine during the last 24 hours on Wednesday (April 15). The corporate capital, Mumbai, alone has 1896 cases with 114 deaths.

The death toll from COVID-19 in the state now stood at 187, while 36 patients were discharged. So far, 295 patients have been recovered and discharged in Maharashtra, according to the state's health department.

Out of nine new deaths in Maharashtra today, Pune (6) reported the highest number of fatalities, followed by Mumbai (2) while one death was reported from Akola district in the Vidarbha region. 

Among various regions, Thane division has so far reported 2,228 COVID-19 cases and 129 deaths which includes the toll from Mumbai (114). Pune division has reported 415 cases and 44 deaths, followed by Nashik division in northern Maharashtra with 83 coronavirus positive cases and five deaths.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Kolhapur division in western Maharashtra stands at 39 and one death, followed by Aurangabad division in Marathwada region which reported 25 cases and two fatalities. Latur division reported 13 COVID-19 cases while Akola division in Vidarbha region 46, said a health official of Maharashtra.

The number of cases from the Nagpur division in east Maharashtra stood at 56 with one death, he said, adding that a total of 11 people from neighbouring states were undergoing treatment in Maharashtra for COVID-19 and two of them have died.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said that ensuring recovery of COVID-19 patients and preventing fatalities were the challenges being faced by his government as well as the medical fraternity.

In his interaction with CEOs of privatehospital in Mumbai, along with members of the newly-set up task force of medical professionals through video conferencing, Thackeray underlined the need to put in place a robust patient management system.

Thackeray said that the focus should be on prevention of deaths of COVID-19 patients and saving those patients who are in a serious condition.

Maharashtra, however, relaxed lockdown measures, as per notification issued by the state's Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta.

1- E-commerce delivery of all goods and services including medicine, food, electronics allowed, So Zomato, Swiggy may operate.

2- Cold storage, warehousing, distribution and supply chain services allowed

3- Confectionaries, sweet shops, snacks shops allowed to open

4- Shops of agriculture input, machinery to be open

5- All agriculture-related processing, packaging, transport allowed

6- Manufacturing units of the packaging material of food, pharma, agriculture allowed

7- Agencies engaged in procurement of agricultural products including MSPs allowed to function

8- Mandi operated by APMCs to be allowed to function

9- Movement of all commodities including non-essentials allowed through the state border

10- Trucks and Goods Carriers allowed with one driver and an additional person