Maharashtra Mulls Suspension Of Trains, Flights From Delhi Amid Covid-19 Surge

The Maharashtra government is toying with the idea of suspending train and flight services to and from Delhi in view of the rising coronavirus cases being reported in the national capital, a senior state official said on Saturday.

"Various measures are being discussed in order to curb the virus spread in the state, and suspension of train and flight operations to and from Delhi is one of them," principal secretary Sanjay Kumar told PTI. "However, no final decision has been taken so far," he added.

Sources said that during a meeting held among state government officials, it was discussed that new measures need to be taken to prevent the spread of the virus through people entering Maharashtra from other states that have been witnessing a Covid-19 spike.

Maharashtra's Covid-19 tally on Friday went up to 17,68,695 with the addition of 5,640 cases during the day and the death toll stood at 46,511.

The national capital recorded 6,608 fresh coronavirus positive cases on Friday, taking the infection tally to over 5.17 lakh, while 118 more fatalities during the same period pushed the death toll to 8,159.

The National Centre for Disease Control, in a report drafted recently, had warned that Delhi needs to be prepared to tackle 15,000 daily Covid-19 cases, taking into account the upcoming winter season-related respiratory problems, a large influx of patients from outside and festive gatherings.