Maharashtra government extends lockdown like restrictions till May 31 amid Covid-19 cases surge

Maharashtra government on May 12 announced an extension of the current lockdown until May 31 to further contain the spread of COVID-19 in the state. The announcement was made immediately after a meeting of the state's cabinet ministers.  The current lockdown was scheduled to end on May 15. Private offices, non-essential shops and establishments will continue to remain completely shut, as per the guidelines. 

On May 11, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope had said the state will temporarily suspend the vaccination drive for the 18-44 age group, given the dearth of vaccines. The inoculation drive beginning May 1 lists all adults of the country as eligible for the covid vaccine above 18-years-old. 

Speaking to ANI, Tope said, "There is a dearth of vaccines, hence we're considering holding off vaccination drive temporarily for the 18-44 age group. 2.75 lakh vaccine doses are left for this age group that'll be now used for 45 years and above group. Administering the second dose is a priority.” 

However, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla on, May 12, promised Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that he would deliver 1.5 crore doses of Covishield to the state after May 20. 

Rajesh Tope said that COVID-19 vaccination for the 18-44 age group will resume after the SII consignment is received, news agency ANI reported. 

Maharashtra’s daily tally of Covid-19 continued to rise on Wednesday with 46,781 new cases and 816 more deaths recorded in the last 24 hours taking the caseload and death toll to 5,226,710 and 78,007 respectively, according to the state health department’s bulletin. 

As many as 58,805 recoveries were recorded on Wednesday taking the total recoveries past 4.6 million. The recovery rate is currently at 88.01 per cent.