Low COVID-19 testing can be dangerous, warns Devendra Fadnavis

Devendra Fadnavis during a silent protest at BJP's Churchgate office

BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday suggested ramping up COVID-19 testing in Maharashtra, the worst-hit state, and warned that not testing as per available capacity can be "dangerous". Addressing a press conference here, the former chief minister, who was here to review the COVID-19 situation in Pune and the adjoining and Pimpri-Chinchwad, said testing capacity needs to be ramped up in the city.

"Testing is less in Pune and it seems that the state government is neglecting (this aspect) and this strategy is dangerous for the city. "We have come to such a point where testing needs be done aggressively," the leader of opposition in the assembly said. He said the state's current capacity to do 38,000 tests per day, but the current daily figure is only 14,000. "In Mumbai, the capacity is 10,000 to 12,000 but we are doing only 4000 tests. I think this strategy is dangerous," the BJP leader warned.

He said the rate of infection in Pune city was 12 per cent, but in the last few days, the incidence has now gone up to 18 per cent. "If we ramp up testing, we can isolate patients and further spread can be tamed and deaths can also be minimised," Fadnavis said. He said there is lack of coordination between different government wings and said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray should step in. "There is no coordination among ministers, there is no coordination between ministers and administration. So it is the responsibility of the chief of the state to make that coordination happen.

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