With 2 new cases, Maharashtra's Covid-19 count now 39

The number of Covid-19 patients in Maharashtra rose to 39 on Monday after two people, including a Filipino, tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Yavatmal and Navi Mumbai, said state health department officials.

At 39, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases among states in the country.

A 51-year-old woman, one of 40 people who had returned from Dubai, tested positive for the virus in Yavatmal, an official said, adding she was the mother of an IT professional who tested positive for the infection in Pune earlier.

The number of Covid-19 patients in Yavatmal now stands at three, he said.

"In the group of 40 that returned from Dubai, 15 have so far tested positive, 22 have tested negative, and three, from Belgaum in Karnataka, who are not infected, have been placed under home observation," a state government release said.

The other person who tested positive on Monday is a citizen of the Philippines currently residing in Navi Mumbai, it said.

The release said, so far, seven of 10 persons who returned from the Philippines have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, while the others have not been infected.

Pimpri-Chinchwad has the highest nine Covid-19 cases, followed by seven in Pune, six in Mumbai, four in Nagpur, three each in Kalyan, Navi Mumbai and Yavatmal, and one each in Raigad, Thane, Ahmednagar and Aurangabad, the release informed.

As on Monday, 31 persons are in quarantine in the state for suspected exposure to the virus, it said.

Over 1.89 lakh people have been screened for Covid-19 symptoms at Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur airports so far.

"As on Monday, a total of 1,063 travellers arrived in the state (since January 18 from coronavirus-countries), of which 794 people have been kept in isolation wards as they showed symptoms like fever, cold and cough," the release said.

It said 717 people have tested negative, 39 tested positive and reports of the others are awaited.

Of the 717 who tested negative, the mandatory 14-day follow-up period for 442 has been completed, the release added.