10-fold jump in new cases; ‘fewer curbs, hard to contain spread now’

“After the Covid-19 outbreak, it had taken five months for the daily infected count to reach 1,000. It was mainly due to the strict lockdown in the city and there was very little public movement. However, the speed at which it is spreading now is very serious. There are not as many restrictions in place now and it is difficult to contain the spread in the current scenario,” said Sanjeev Waware, assistant medical officer.

The positivity rate is also on the rise, which is an indication that residents should be very cautious. The positivity rate was near 5 per cent a month ago and is now 18 per cent, he added.

A civic official said, “Now, there is a lot of awareness and experience on treating Covid-19 patients as compared to last year. It is likely that at least 70 per cent of the infected would prefer home isolation instead of hospitalisation, as in the past.”

The civic administration will have to introduce more restrictions to check the spread of infection or it would lead to problems in bed management, as was experienced at the peak of pandemic last year, he added.

Civic officials said Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will discuss the restrictions that have to be introduced in a review meeting with authorities on Friday.

The civic administration, meawhile, is having a tough time at the ward level after the process of declaring micro-containment zones was decentralised. The administration has been directed to declare a micro-containment zone for a building with at least five active cases and a housing society or locality with at least 20 active cases. Almost all the 15 ward offices have declared micro-containment zones in their respective areas.

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