Mumbai reported its highest-ever spike in a day in the number of COVID-19 cases on Sunday with 6,923 infections in the last 24 hours taking the tally to 3,98,674, the city civic body said. The city recorded eight deaths taking the overall count to 11,649, it said.
The highest-ever spike comes on a day when Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asked officials to prepare a plan for implementation of a lockdown on the recommendation of the state COVID-19 task force amid a massive surge in the Coronavirus cases.
Maharashtra reported 40,414 fresh coronavirus positive cases, the highest rise so far in a single day, taking its tally beyond 27 lakh to 27,13,875, the state health department said. The state had reached the 26 lakh-mark of cases on March 25. With 108 fresh fatalities due to COVID-19 infection, the overall fatalities due to the disease in Maharashtra reached 54,181, it said.
Maharashtra has seen a huge rise in coronavirus positive cases over the last week with as many as one lakh new infections being added to the state's tally in this period.
In a meeting held with the Chief Minster, Health Minister Rajesh Tope and other officials, principal secretary to state health department Dr Pradeep Vyas said there will be a "tremendous stress" on the availability of beds, oxygen supply, and ventilators, which could fall short if the cases continue to go up.
The members of the task force also expressed apprehension that the state might report 40,000 fresh cases in the next 24 hours.
"24,619 cases had been reported on a single day in September, 2020. However, on March 27 this year, the state reported 35,726 new cases in a day. This number could touch 40,000 in the next 24 hours," an official statement said quoting the members of the task force.
The state government has announced a ban on all types of gatherings. It has also ordered that restaurants, gardens and malls will remain shut between 8 pm to 7 am beginning Saturday night. People will also not be allowed to visit beaches during 8 pm to 7 am.
