The state government of Maharashtra is planning to temporarily stop services of local trains, buses and other public transportation due to the outbreak of pandemic coronavirus.
However, a final decision is yet to be taken in this matter. As per media reports, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray will take a crucial decision on suspending Mumbai’s lifeline, the local train services.
Apart from local trains on all lines in Mumbai, the decision may also include the shutting down of Mumbai Metro Rail, Monorail and other public modes of transport.
It is also being said that if the decision to shut it comes, then it will drastically affect the country’s commercial capital.
For the uninitiated, Maharashtra currently has 39 COVID-19 positive cases, making it the highest in the country. On Tuesday, a 63-year-old COVID-19 patient who was under treatment at the Kasturba Hospital, died, making him the first such victim in Maharashtra and India’s third reported death due to coronavirus.
According to reports, the Mumbai-based man had a travel history to Dubai. Reports inform that the wife of the deceased is also a COVID-19 positive patient under treatment and her condition is described as ‘stable’.
In Maharashtra, there are another 38 coronavirus positive patients admitted in hospitals across the state, besides around 600 in ‘home quarantine’ in Mumbai.
In India, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases across the country mounted to 126 including foreign nationals, the Health Ministry said. As of March 17, the total number of passengers screened at the airport is 13,19,363.
