Mumbai: 65-Year-Old, With Travel History To UAE, Dies Due To Coronavirus Infection At Kasturba Hospital

A 65-year-old man with travel history to the United Arab Emirates died due to coronavirus infection at Mumbai's Kasturba Hospital on Tuesday. With this, the total number of COVID-19 deaths in Maharashtra rose to three. The man had travelled from UAE to Ahmedabad on March 15. Five days later, he travelled to Mumbai on March 20. He was admitted to the Kasturba Hospital for COVID-19 treatment. The doctors couldn't save him. Maharashtra has been the worst-hit state in India in terms of COVID-19 cases. Despite the colossal damage to the Indian economy, the financial capital and other parts of the state are under total shutdown till March 31st. For the first time, the entire suburban railway network also known as Mumbai local have come to a grinding halt to prevent millions in the city from travelling in the city. (Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates)

On March 23, in the toughest measure to contain the spread of coronavirus outbreak so far, the Maharashtra government imposed ‘statewide curfew’, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced on Monday. "The coronavirus spread is at a crucial stage. If we don't take strong steps now, we may face a situation similar to other countries. We have been making repeated appeals, but they seem to have had no impact, so we are forced to implement curfew," Thackeray said in an address to the people of the state. The development comes a day after Maharashtra government implemented prohibitory i.e. Section 144 of CrPC to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Maharashtra. The Uddhav Thackeray-led government also suspended the intercity state transport and private bus services while extending Section 144 till March 31 in several cities.

Meanwhile, the Centre has advised state governments and union territory administrations to impose curfew wherever necessary in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, officials said on Tuesday. A top functionary of the central government has called up some of the chief ministers and apprised them of the necessity of imposing the curfew if people continue to venture out of their homes. The state governments and the union territory administrations have been advised to impose curfew wherever necessary as many people continue to go out of their homes despite the lockdown ordered to check the spread of the virus, a government official told PTI. The state governments have been conveyed that public gatherings could lead to escalation of the prevailing situation as so far nearly 500 positive cases have been reported from different parts of the country. "Now, it is up to the state governments to take action as per the local situation and give necessary instructions to the district magistrates who have the powers to impose curfew," the official said. The move came as 32 states and union territories announced complete lockdown to deal with the pandemic.

(With agency inputs)