PUNE: The public health department has stated that though the weekly positivity rate (WPR) in the state has not increased during the two weeks after Ganeshotsav, testing should not reduce in districts during the next fortnight before Dasara and Diwali.
State surveillance officer Dr Pradeep Awate told TOI that detailed guidelines were in place for all the districts and collectors to implement them. The state should carry out 2 lakh tests a day and there should be no reduction of tests in districts that have already been listed as either districts of concern or those with low testing.
“The government has announced that some unlocking orders for various sectors will be issued shortly. The orders will be issued keeping in mind all Covid protocols. However, there should not be any complacency,” he said.
State task force member Shashank Joshi told TOI that Covid cases in Maharashtra had substantially come down and did not increase during the two weeks after Ganeshotsave. “However, Covid continues to be around. The cases might have dropped, but the pandemic is not gone yet. The government is carrying out the unlocking process amid strict SOPs,” he said.
Pune zilla parishad CEO Ayush Prasad told TOI that only two talukas in the district — Junnar and Ambegaon — currently had a weekly positivity rate above 5%.
Ahmednagar currently has the highest positivity rate of 4.27%, followed by Sindhudurg (4.04%), Palghar (3.39%), Pune (3.37%), Nashik (2.78%), Osmanabad (2.72%), Sangli (2.54%), Satara (2.36%) and Ratnagiri (2.36%).
