Coronavirus HIGHLIGHTS: Govt Prohibits Exports Of Remdesivir Till Covid-19 Situation Improves In India
Coronavirus Cases HIGHLIGHTS: Amid the worrying spike in Coronavirus cases, Gujarat on Saturday recorded its highest single-day tally of Covid-19 infections so far at 5,011, taking its overall caseload to 3,42,026. Meanwhile, Maharashtra's Covid-19 tally crossed the 33-lakh mark with 55,411 new Covid cases on Saturday.
Background
Coronavirus Cases HIGHLIGHTS: Amid the worrying spike in Coronavirus cases, Gujarat on Saturday recorded its highest single-day tally of Covid-19 infections so far at 5,011, taking its overall caseload to 3,42,026, while 49 deaths in the past 24 hours took the state's Covid death toll to 4,746.
In just 10 days of April, Gujarat has reported 34,328 Covid cases at an average of 3,433 cases per day. In the whole of March, Gujarat had reported 37,809 Covid cases at an average of almost 1,220 cases daily.
Just a day after the letters by the Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and the BJP Gujarat Chief CR Paatil, asking for the elections for the Gandhinagar local body to be stayed, the state election commissioner Sanjay Prasad decided to hold off the scheduled Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) elections slated for April 18.
"Considering the representations by various parties, organisations and looking at the present situation of Corona havoc, the SEC considers it inappropriate to hold the elections. A lot of people from the political parties and also the government will be exposed to the virus, if the elections are carried out. The SEC doesn't see it fit to undermine the health of so many people during the long process of the elections," Sanjay Prasad observed in his order on Saturday.
"The present situation in Gujarat and Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation is abnormal and exceptional. The SEC believes that the elections should be held in a free, fair, just and fearless manner. The voters won't be able to vote in a free and fearless manner in the present circumstances. Also, the polling will be a lot less in these times. By the powers conferred to the SEC under the rule 48 of the Election Rules, 1994 of the Mumbai Providential Corporation Act, we are postponing the scheduled elections till the situation improves," Prasad said in the order.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra's Covid-19 tally crossed the 33-lakh mark, while the death toll in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) zoomed past the 21,000-mark with over 30 lakh people under quarantine.
After an all-party review meeting, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also warned that "there is no alternative to a complete lockdown" and said that a decision on this would be announced in a day or so.
Continuing in the 50,000 range, the state reported 55,411 new Covid cases on Saturday, down from 58,993 on Friday, and lower than the peak of 59,907 recorded on April 7, taking Maharashtra's overall tally 33,43,951 on Saturday.
COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra
Maharashtra reports 63,294 new COVID19 cases, 34,008 recoveries and 349 deaths in the last 24 hours
Total cases: 34,07,245
Total recoveries: 27,82,161
Death toll: 57,987
Active cases: 5,65,587
9,989 new positive cases and 58 deaths reported in Mumbai today
Over 27 lakh vaccine doses administered on Day 1 of Tika Utsav
Union Health Ministry said more than 27 lakh vaccine doses were administered, till 8 pm on Day 1 of Tika Utsav
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