'Maharashtra may face lockdown if more than 40% of Covid beds are occupied'

Maharashtra Health Department on Thursday said that it will consider imposing lockdown-like restrictions if medical oxygen demand goes beyond 800 metric tonnes/day

With Maharashtra reporting the highest number of Omicron variant cases of COVID-19 in the country, the state Health Department on Thursday said that it will consider imposing lockdown-like restrictions if medical oxygen demand goes beyond 800 metric tonnes/day.

The department further said that the lockdown or lockdown-like restrictions will be considered when more than 40 per cent of the COVID beds in the hospitals are occupied.

"No lockdown in the state is being considered as of now, "said the department.

The health department further anticipated that the surge in the COVID-19 cases may reach its peak in mid-February and may subside by mid-March.

Speaking to ANI, Minister for Medical Education Amit Deshmukh said that the closure of malls and cinema halls is not being devised now but if the necessity arises in the "larger public interest", then the Chief Minister will take the final call.

"There is a formula on which we have to decide the intensity of the third wave and the need for stricter rules. At present, we don't think that cinema halls or malls are needed to be closed but if something is to be done in the larger public interest, the state cabinet will discuss these things, and the CM of the state will take a final call on this," Deshmukh said.

Meanwhile, according to the Union Health Ministry, India has reported 2,630 cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19 so far, of which 797 cases have been reported from Maharashtra, the highest in the country, followed by New Delhi which has reported 465 cases.

India reported 90,928 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday.

The daily positivity rate stands at 6.43 per cent while the weekly positivity rate stands at 3.47 per cent.

As many as 325 patients lost their lives taking the death toll in the country to 4,82,876.

With this, the active caseload in the country stands at 2,85,401.