The total sealing of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad cities – the worst-hit after Mumbai by the Covid-19 pandemic – since Monday seemed to have had the desired effect. with no fresh deaths reported from there over past two days, officials said.
Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad with a population of around 8 million were completely locked down till April 27 – the first ever such action for any metropolitan city in India – after a missive by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
Belying skeptics, the move has apparently served with no fresh deaths reported here since Sunday and the figures of casualties remaining static at 49 and 1, respectively, since the sealing.
Surprisingly, even the Pune Division death figures have remained unchanged at 55 – comprising Pune district (1), PMC (49), PCMC (1), Solapur nil, Solapur Municipal Corporation (2) and Satara (2), officials said.
In fact, the last death reported from Pune Division was one from Solapur Municipal Corporation, on Saturday, after which the decision to completely contain and completely shut down the PMC and PCMC regions was taken.
However, the number of Covid-19 patients increased from 637 to 697 on Sunday and Monday respectively.
From midnight of Sunday-Monday, all entry-exit points to PMC and PCMC were bolted with strict controls on the movement of even exempted vehicles ferrying essentials.
Since April 10 nearly around 15 wards of PMC are designated as ‘Red Zones’ and another 10 ‘Orange Zones’, and from yesterday, the civic health authorities have launched an intensive Covid-19 screening drive which will continue till April 27.
Most essential businesses like shops, banks, ATMs, etc are permitted to work only four hours daily to avoid crowds, and home delivery of daily requirement articles is permitted with special clearances, though medical services are allowed as normal.
In a related development, around 25 paramedical staffers including 19 nurses of the Ruby Hall Clinic – who had been quarantined since April 12, have tested Covid-19 positive, said a hospital official.
They were shunted to isolation 10 days ago after a senior nurse was found positive at the Pune-based hospital, sending alarm bells among the state health authorities.-IANS News
