On a day that the state of Maharashtra reported over 5,400 new Covid-19 cases, the state administration announced a ten-day lockdown in Yavatmal district in the Vidarbha region, while a weekend lockdown was announced in neighbouring Amravati district.

After a gap of 75 days, Maharashtra on Thursday reported more than 5,000 new Covid-19 cases, a sizable number of them coming from Akola and Nagpur divisions.

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The state recorded 5,427 new cases on Thursday, the highest one-day count this year, along with 38 fatalities.It had reported 4,787 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday. The state had reported 5,229 infections on December 4, which had been followed by a gradual drop in cases.

The decline had prompted the state government to relax restrictions on movement and gatherings further, including the restrictions on travel by local trains in Mumbai.

But since the last week, the state is reporting increase in the daily numbers of infections, setting alarm bells ringing.

With the spurt in cases, the administration in Yavatmal district ordered a ten day lockdown from Thursday night, including curbs on gatherings and the closure of schools, while a weekend lockdown was announced in Amravati district from 8 p.m. on Saturday to 7 a.m. on Monday, a period during which markets and other establishments will remain shut, but essential services will remain unaffected.

State chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had on Tuesday warned that if Covid-19 norms are not followed, people should be prepared for a fresh round of strict lockdown.

The country’s tally of Covid-19 cases, meanwhile, reached 1,09,50,201 as of 8 a.m. on Thursday, with 12,881 new infections being reported in the previous 24 hours, while recoveries have reached 1,06,56,845, according to the Union health ministry. The death toll increased to 1,56,014 with 101 daily new fatalities over the same period. The active caseload stands at 1,37,342.

Delhi logs 130 cases, 2 deaths: The national capital today reported 130 fresh Covid-19 cases and 2 coronavirus-linked deaths, according to the Delhi government’s latest health bulletin.

These fresh cases came to light following 60,441 tests. The positivity rate stood at 0.22 per cent.

Delhi’s Covid caseload mounted to 6,37,445, the health bulletin said. The cumulative figure of Covid fatalities climbed to 10,896.