A spike in COVID-19 cases in this district adjoining Mumbai has rattled the Maharashtra government.
Thane district now has 24,338 cases and has reported 713 deaths, according to the daily report of the Public Health department.
The district has six big municipal corporations - Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Ulhasnagar, Mira Bhayander and Bhiwandi-Nizampur.
Thane is among the top five worst-affected districts in India and the government is focussing on controlling through the Chase-the-Virus initiative. The Thane city and the satellite township of Navi Mumbai are the worst-affected with 7,311 and 5,786 cases and 237 and 163 deaths, respectively.
Thane and Navi Mumbai are two of the biggest industrial belts and the residents of the district comprise a majority workforce in the Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR).
Two jumbo hospitals with over 1,000 beds, one in Thane and another in Navi Mumbai, have been set up, which are COVID-19 care centres and have oxygen and ICU facilities.
"Medical facilities have been enhanced significantly," said state's urban development minister Eknath Shinde, who is Thane district's guardian minister.
On Sunday, 1,023 COVID-19 positive cases were added to the tally. "The spike is a matter of concern. After Mumbai, Thane is a hotspot with a spurt of cases in the last week. There are many cases being reported from highrises," said Badlapur-based activist MP Joshi.
Last week, the Maharashtra government released an additional fund of Rs 35 crore to tackle the pandemic.
Chief secretary Ajoy Mehta, who reviewed the situation in Thane, has instructed for extensive contract tracing like Mumbai's Chase-the-Virus.
In the Thane central jail, four constables tested positive for COVID-19. They have been sent for treatment and those who came in contact with them are being quarantined.
The Thane Municipal Corporation and the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has created teams to ensure that physical distancing in shops and bus and railway stations are being followed.