Daily Maharastra Covid-19 test numbers have dipped in October: Fadnavis

Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said the Thackeray government must increase the number of Covid-19 determination tests in Maharashtra as the daily average was on a downward trend since Sept 1

Senior BJP leader Devendra

Fadnavis on Saturday said the Uddhav Thackeray government must increase the number of COVID-19 determination tests in Maharashtra as the daily average was on a downward trend since September 1.

In a letter to the chief minister, Fadnavis said the the average number of tests per day between October 1 and 15 was 75,296, down from 91,743 during the September 16 to 30 period and 84,675 in the September 1 to 15 period.

He said the low number of tests in October might be behind the reduction in coronavirus numbers on a daily basis, which he claimed was "hiding reality".

The leader of opposition in the state Assembly said Maharashtra's death per million figure was high and so was the case for Mumbai.

The national death per million figure was 97.6 while it was as high as 333 in Maharashtra, the former CM claimed.

"In Mumbai, the infection ratio in the first fortnight of September was 15.95 per cent which increased to 17.61 per cent in the second fortnight of September and remained 17.39 per cent in the first fortnight of October," Fadnavis said, wondering why test numbers were not being ramped up despite "high prevalence of infection".

He said the rising infection numbers in the state meant all sectors of the economy cannot resume operations.