Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar stated that the state government is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation. He mentioned that the health department has been instructed to implement necessary precautions to curb the spread of the virus. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of his visit to Sassoon General Hospital here, Pawar said that though the JN.1 variant of coronavirus is not very serious, people are advised to use masks.
The health department on Thursday apprised Chief Minister Eknath Shinde of the (COVID-19) situation. We are taking reports about the cases every day. Civil surgeons and health departments in the state have been issued instructions to undertake precautionary measures to ensure that the number of positive cases does not rise, the deputy chief minister said.
He additionally appealed to the public to cooperate by adhering to COVID-appropriate behavior. Ajit Pawar emphasized that while the current variant of COVID-19 may not be highly severe, and individuals can recover through isolation, he urged people to continue using masks as a precautionary measure.
On Thursday, Maharashtra reported 171 new coronavirus positive cases and recorded two deaths, with one fatality each in Solapur and Kolhapur. Mumbai registered 32 cases, while Thane city and Navi Mumbai reported 16 cases each, as per the health department's bulletin. The state currently has 914 active cases, and the count of individuals infected with the JN.1 variant is reported to be 110.