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Thirty-two positive cases of novel coronavirus has been reported in Maharashtra so far, the State’s Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Sunday, adding that the state is gearing up to take hold of the current emergency situation.
Pune Municipal Commissioner, Shekhar Gaikwad told BusinessLine that there has been no new cases of coronavirus infection in the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad in the last two-days. The police department is being also asked to invoke Section 144 outside hospitals and government offices, to prevent gathering of people.
More testing centres
In view of the outbreak, the Mumbai Police has already invoked Section 144 of the CrPC on Sunday. Announcing the expansion of coronavirus testing facilities in the State, Tope said that the capacity to test samples of suspected cases of the novel coronavirus will be increased to 350 per day, from the current 100 samples per day, at the Mumbai municipality-run Kasturba hospital in Mumbai.
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India imposed stringent travel curbs after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.The Minister said that the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) has occupied Seven Hill Hospital, which is having 500 beds at present. Steps are initiated to increase the capacity by another 500 beds shortly. MCGM officials have also been instructed to provide protective masks as per requirement in the hospital.
The State government has already initiated the process to set up another laboratory to test samples at the KEM Hospital in Mumbai by Wednesday. The Minister said that 250 samples can be tested at the new facility.
New laboratories will also be set up at the JJ Hospital and at the Haffkine Institute in Mumbai soon. The Government is also planning to set up a new laboratory at a hospital in Pune in the next 15-20 days.
The Minister said that a decision has already been taken on this regard, and orders will be issued either on Monday or Tuesday.
Confirmed cases
“Maharashtra has 32 confirmed positive cases of the novel coronavirus as of now, including nine people who are admitted at Kasturba hospital,” the Tope told reporters after reviewing the quarantine facility and other infrastructure at Kasturba hospital in Mumbai on Sunday.
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India imposed stringent travel curbs after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.Meanwhile, the State government has appealed to the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) to postpone all its upcoming exams till March 31.
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