Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray indicated that the call to provide further relaxations would be taken cautiously to prevent another wave of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) transmission across Mumbai and the state.

The CM said that the state — the worst affected as far as the viral outbreak is concerned — would like to tread cautiously in easing lockdown restrictions to “prevent a second wave”, while unveiling an 800-bed Covid-19 hospital in Pune on Sunday via video-conference.

Thackeray said the state government is working on ramping up the health care infrastructure in a bid to prevent a second wave of the viral outbreak in Maharashtra.

“We are opening up activities gradually to ensure a second wave doesn’t occur. Gathering is inevitable, when we want to get back to our normal lives,” the CM said.

Maharashtra, on Sunday, recorded 10,441 new Covid-19 cases, as the tally rose to 682,383. The state crossed 22,000 fatalities after 258 new Covid-19 related deaths were recorded on Sunday and the cumulative toll stands at 22,253.

Of the fatalities recorded on Sunday, 213 were from the previous 48 hours and 23 were from last week. The remaining 22 deaths were from the period before last week.

The case fatality rate (CFR) in Maharashtra is 3.26%. So far 488,271 Covid-19 patients have recovered from their viral infection, including 8,157 on Sunday.

At present, Maharashtra has 171,542 Covid-19 active cases.

There have been demands from various quarters, including from the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), for reopening of gymnasiums and religious places of worship.

However, the state government is yet to take a call.

Though the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked state governments to allow unrestricted movement of people and goods between states, the MVA government has not acted upon it yet.

The CM said the next 10 days are crucial for the state’s battle against Covid-19. The state is anticipating a spike in Covid-19 cases following an uptick in the movement of people during festivals such as Ganesh Utsav and Muharram.

“The next phase is important for the state. The next eight-10 days are going to be crucial, as the Ganpati festival is on. Paryushana concluded on Sunday and Muharram will also be observed in a few days. Besides these festivals, a raging monsoon is a carrier of several diseases,” Thackeray said.

State health department officials attributed the spike in Covid-19 cases to the easing of lockdown restrictions and anticipated a similar trend to continue.

The CM said though the Covid-19 situation in Mumbai is “under control”, he cautioned the authorities to guard against any complacency to prevent a second wave of attack, as has been the global trend.

“A dedicated Covid-19 facility is being commissioned in Pune, and two more will be added in this week. People ask me why do we require so many healthcare facilities? We cannot remain careless. Absolutely not. Today, the situation in Mumbai is under control, but I shall not rest. We are continuing with our strategy of tracing, tracking, testing etc. Globally, a second wave [of Covid-19] has occurred. We are striving to prevent a second wave. But what should we do, if it occurs? Earlier, we had faced an acute of shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, including N-95 masks, and also ventillators,” the CM had said while unveiling the Pune healthcare facility.

Mumbai recorded 991 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, as the city’s tally rose to 136,353.

It also recorded 34 fatalities and the cumulative toll is 7,422.

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