1. Maharashtra Announces Lockdown
Maharashtra on Sunday announced a near-total shutdown of the state till March 31, in line with the Centre’s extraordinary new measures to arrest the spread of the coronavirus, which have effectively confined around a fifth of all Indians to their homes.
The virus on Sunday infected 10 more people and killed a 63-year-old Mumbai man in India’s worst-hit state, taking the number of cases (including two deaths) to 74.
Source: Hindustan Times
2. 63-Year-Old Man Dies Due to Coronavirus, Second Death in Mumbai
A 63-year-old man, who was admitted in HN Reliance hospital on March 19 with suspected symptoms of flu and later tested positive for Covid-19, passed away late on Saturday night. The patient had recently travelled to Surat but had no foreign travel history or contact with any known traveller.
The man’s wife has also tested positive and is admitted in Kasturba hospital.
Source: The Indian Express
3. Wagah Border Shut, SoBo Family Stranded in Pak
The family of a 33-year-old Byculla resident of south Mumbai is stranded in Karachi as Pakistan has closed the Wagah border. Their visas will expire by the end of this month.
Moiz Amirali Udaipurwala, who belongs to the Dawoodi Bohra community, and his wife, Umme Farwah, who holds Pakistani citizenship, went to Karachi on February 1 with their one-year-old son. This was Udaipurwala’s first visit to his in-laws in Karachi after his two-year-old marriage.
Source: Hindustan Times
4. Mahrashtra: Four Private Labs Get ICMR Approval, More to Follow Soon
Four private laboratories Thyrocare, HN Reliance and Research Centre, Suburban Diagnostics and Metropolis Healthcare have got the approval to start conducting coronavirus (COVID-19) tests in Mumbai from Sunday. At least 20 more laboratories in the city have applied and are awaiting approval.
Until now, Maharashtra was conducting tests at six government laboratories two in Mumbai, one in Nagpur and three in Pune. With the four private labs, the state’s testing capacity is set to double from an average of 1,000 tests per day.
Source: The Indian Express
5. Mumbai Bagh: Women Call Off Protest for Now
After almost two months of a sit-in, the women of Mumbai Bagh have finally decided to call off their protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The development comes after chief minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that section 144 will be imposed in the state from Monday onwards. A senior officer from Mumbai Police said that talks were held with the women and they have agreed to move back until coronavirus pandemic is under control in the state.
Source: Hindustan Times
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