State Health Minister of Maharashtra Rajesh Tope spoke to reporters on Thursday and said that Mumbai and 24 other districts of the state which have recorded positivity rates lower than Maharashtra's average will likely see an easing of COVID-19 restrictions.
However, he added that in districts with high infection rates, more restrictions may be imposed.
He stated, "We have discussed introducing more relaxation in 25 districts, including Mumbai, where the positivity rate is much lower than the state's average. A decision with a detailed set of instructions will be out in a couple of days," news agency PTI quoted.
Maharashtra reported 6,857 new cases and 286 deaths in the last 24 hours on Thursday.
The administration is also deliberating over letting fully vaccinating individuals use local trains in Mumbai, Tope said after attending a state COVID-19 task force meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
The minster said, "We are still discussing the ways to verify if a passenger has taken both doses. We will also speak to the railway authorities," PTI quoted.
However, the health minister underlined that in districts of Pune, Solapur, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Beed and Ahmednagar, which are recording a higher infection positivity rate than the average, no restrictions will be lifted, PTI reported.
He stressed, "If required, the local authorities may introduce more stringent restrictions (in these areas) to contain the spread of coronavirus."
In Mumbai, only individuals employed to render essential and emergency services are allowed local train travel.
(With inputs from PTI)
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