As COVID-19 cases spike, quarantine facilities augmented in Maharashtra's Palghar

As the urban conglomeration of Vasai-Virar tackles a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases, the bed strength in hospitals has been augmented significantly.

Over the past fortnight, the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths, forcing the administration to clamp lockdown is certain areas of the township.

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The Palghar district reported 3,453 positive cases and 90 deaths, according to the Sunday's data of the Public Health department.

The VVCMC, which comes under the Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR), accounts for 2,823 cases and 81 deaths.

The Nalasopara East area of Vasai Tehsil is the worst affected. Nalasopara MLA and Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) leader Kshitij Thakur said that things will be under control. "Across India, you would have noticed that there is a spurt in cases after the lockdown ended and unlocking started. We have and are taking a series of measures to ensure that things are normal," said Thakur.

Kshitij's father and BVA founder, Hitendra Thakur, is an MLA from Vasai and their party controls the VVCMC.

The Vishnu Vaman Thakur CharitableTrust-run Viva College in Virar West and Viva Institute of Technology in Virar East have been turned into quarantine/isolation centres.

Besides, a massive quarantine centre has been created at Varun Industrial Estate at Waliv in Vasai East. It has 400 to 500 beds and there is space for scaling it further.

The Thakurs had already announced free ration including rice, dal, sugar to 3.5 lakh ration card holders. In the VVCMC jurisdiction, 18 areas have been put under lockdown for a fortnight's time.