By Quaid Najmi

Mumbai, Apr 7 (IANS): Maharashtra on Monday recorded 7 Covid-19 deaths, including a 30-year old pregnant woman, and the total positive cases in the state shot up by 120 from Sunday's 748 to 868, health officials said here.

The day saw a huge health scare when a tea-seller near the residence of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray tested Covid-19 positive and two private hospitals - one in Mumbai and another in Pune - were sealed after around 130 staffers were found positive.

Mumbai recorded four new Covid-19 deaths - all males - and the number of positive cases increased by 57, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said here on Monday.

This has taken Mumbai's total toll to 34, and the number of positive cases to 526 till date, the highest in India.

In another shocker, a 30-year old 9-month pregnant woman from NalaSopara town in Palghar passed away at Nair Hospital.

The four men who passed away in Mumbai were aged 41, 52, 62 and 80, and had been admitted to various Mumbai hospitals.

The other deceased persons are a 72-year old diabetic-cum-heart patient from Navi Mumbai who passed away in a private hospital here, and a 50-year man from Ambernath town (Thane) who died in Bhabha Hospital in Bandra.

Among the deceased, none had a history of foreign travel, though two had travelled domestically - to Ajmer and Uttar Pradesh.

All the male victims individually suffered from other diseases like bronchopneumonia, alcoholism, hypertension, epilepsy, paralysis, diabetes, etc. and tested Covid-19 positive.

Another 32,521 people remain in home quarantine and 3.498 in institutional quarantine, while 70 who are fully cured have been discharged till date.

In Mumbai, the Health Department has declared Wockhardt Hospital as a containment zone after 29, including 26 nurses and 3 doctors tested positive, while Pune health authorities sealed the D.Y. Patil Hospital after more than 92 persons including doctors and nurses tested positive.

Till date, the BMC has declared 226 'containment zones' in the city which are being updated regularly.

As the number of Covid-19 cases and casualties continue to rise, the Mumbai Police issued an appeal to all those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat convention in Nizamuddin, Delhi, to voluntarily come forward to the health authorities.

The state health authorities continue to comb for the Jamaat attendees in all districts in the state where so far 8 such positive cases have been found. They are four from Pune, two from Ahmednagar and one each in Hingoli and Washim.

Health Minister Rajesh Tope, meanwhile, hinted that the withdrawal of lockdown would depend on the situation in the state between April 10-15.

"It will entirely depend on how the situation develops then (April 10-15), and we will consider various factors, particularly for Mumbai and Pune, which have a large number of cases," Tope said.

The minister said the lockdown withdrawal call would be jointly taken by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar besides him, who would also consider how other countries have come out of lockdown and World Health Organisation guidelines besides the Centre's directives.

Health authorities have informed Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray that Maharashtra is conducting the maximum number of tests - over 10,000 daily - which has brought out the highest number of cases.

Around 3,750 camps have been set up for migrants, while over 10,000 quarantine rooms are in place in Mumbai.

Maharashtra leaders and health authorities continue to appeal to people to remain indoors and maintain social distancing as the best defence against coronavirus.