Coronavirus positive cases in Maharashtra rise to 19

With two more persons testing positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra, the number of
infected individuals in the state has gone up to 19, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Saturday (March 14).

The two new cases were reported from Mumbai and Ahmednagar, he said.

“The number of coronavirus positive cases in Maharashtra has gone up to 19 after one case each was reported from Mumbai and Ahmednagar on Friday (March 13),” Tope told reporters outside the state legislature complex here.

Ten of the confirmed cases in the state are in Pune, four in Mumbai, three in Nagpur, and one each in Thane and Ahmednagar.

Talking to PTI, a health department official said, “Till Friday evening, the number of persons who tested positive for coronavirus was 17. But the test reports of two more persons came late at night. As they were found positive, the count of infected persons rose to 19.”

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“The person in Ahmednagar had recently returned from Dubai. As he showed symptoms of coronavirus infection, his blood sample was sent for testing, which confirmed late Friday night that he is coronavirus positive,” he added.

In the wake of coronavirus scare, the state government had on Friday ordered the closure of cinema theatres, gymnasiums, swimming pools and public parks in cities of Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad till March 30.

The government also invoked the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 to tackle the virus outbreak.

As announced by the government on Friday, schools and colleges in Pune and its neighbouring twin industrial towns of Pimpri and Chinchwad will remain shut till further orders.