India registered a total of 184,372 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday pushing the country's tally of cases to 13,873,825.
With 1,027 fatalities in the last 24 hours, the death toll increased to 1,72,085, The Indian Express reported citing data from the Union Health Ministry. The number of active cases stand at 1,365,704, while as many as 12,336,036 people have recovered from the disease. At least 111,179,578 people have been vaccinated so far.
Scrambling to contain the surge, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray Tuesday announced curfew-like restrictions on the movement of people in the state from 8 pm on April 14 to May 1, but stopped short of calling it a lockdown.
In a 38-minute address to the state, Thackeray announced stricter restrictions than those in place since April 6, exempting only essential services, and announced a IRs 54.76-billion relief package for those who will be affected across sectors and certain categories.
According to an order issued by the administration, prohibitory orders under Section 144 are to be imposed in the state from Wednesday night and will remain in force until May 1.
Meanwhile, the exodus of migrant workers from Mumbai had began in earnest on Monday, a day before Uddhav Thackeray announced the statewide curfew for 15 days. On Tuesday night, soon after Thackeray announced the curfew in an address to the state, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) was teeming with migrant workers. While many had anticipated a lockdown and managed to get confirmed tickets to their respective hometowns, several were seen trying to enter the station by buying general compartment tickets.
