No shutting local trains; mulling over weekend lockdown, night curfew: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope

Photo for representational purpose

The Maharashtra government will not shut down local trains, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Thursday amidst a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Tope also said that weekend lockdown and night curfew are being considered but the government has not reached a decision yet and that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will decide on the restrictions.

"The number of cases are growing but hospitalisations have not increased. Also, the number of casualties hasn't increased, medical oxygen demand hasn't gone up. In the coming days, we'll conduct a sero-survey," he told reporters on Thursday.

The minister said that the state's health infrastructure was being strengthened to fight the third wave. He also stressed the need to continue Maharashtra's economic activities while urging people to avoid unnecessary gatherings.

Meanwhile, Mumbai's Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has asked private hospitals and nursing homes to restore their hospital bed capacity to what it was during the peak of the second wave.