Maharashtra: Schools will not be closed as of now, says health minister Rajesh Tope

Rajesh Tope. File Pic

As Maharashtra and Mumbai deal with a rising number of Covid-19 cases, state health minister Rajesh Tope has urged everyone to avoid crowding and follow guidelines to prevent the spread of infection. He also said that schools will not be closed as of now and students (15-18 years) should be taken in batches to vaccination centres. This will result in a high rate of vaccination.

Mumbai reported around 4,000 cases of Covid-19 and the positivity rate was 8.48 per cent, said Tope. And to differentiate between Omicron and Delta plus variants, SGTF kits must be used. Tope once again emphasised that everyone must be fully vaccinated.

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray is also holding a meeting with Covid-19 task force members to chart out a plan for the coming days on tackling Covid-19.

According to India Today report, Dr Rahul Pandit, a member of the state task force, said the third wave of Covid-19 might have already begun in some clusters of Mumbai and Delhi.

"The rate at which the cases are doubling indicates that these are the characteristics of Omicron. But we are waiting for the genome sequencing reports of the last few days to understand the share of Omicron. Right now, it looks like a combination of Delta and Omicron," said Dr Pandit. He also said that call regarding the lockdown will be taken by the Maharashtra govt keeping in mind the health infrastructure.

Meanwhile, on December 30, Maharashtra reported 198 Omicron cases, including 190 in Mumbai. The state govt has already imposed Section 144 of CrPC in Mumbai and have banned all kinds of gatherings on New Year's Eve and New Year.