On the 18th day of the extended lockdown, the number of Coronavirus cases in Maharashtra reached 12,296, with 790 persons testing positive in the state, out of which 547 of them are in Mumbai, the health department said.

Maharashtra reported 36 deaths on Saturday and 27 of them occurred in Mumbai, three in Pune, three in Amravati and one each in Vasai-Virar and Aurangabad.

Meanwhile, twenty persons currently residing in Gurdwara Langar Sahib at Nanded in Maharashtra have tested coronavirus positive, an official said on Saturday

According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India's count of COVID-19 cases reached close to 40,000 on Sunday morning

Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state with the total number of cases rising to 12296 with 521 deaths. Around 2000 people have also recovered from the deadly virus in the state.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope announced that all citizens will be covered under the state government's health scheme. The state will be the first in the country to provide free and cashless insurance protection to its people.

Tope told mediapersons, 85 per cent of the state's population was covered under the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY) at present and the cover will be extended to the remining 15 per cent.

A memorandum was signed to include government, semi-government employees and white ration cardholders in the scheme in a bid to prevent private hospitals from overcharging
patients, he said, adding that different packages will be designed for all diseases, to standardise treatment fees at all hospitals.

The India Navy had 38 COVID-19 positive cases in Mumbai of which 12 have recovered and have been discharged from hospital, Indian Navy Vice Chief Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar said

He said after the cases came to the notice of the Naval authorities concerned in the city, all out efforts were made to quarantine people who could have come into contact with the soldier who tested positive last month.

According to the police, over 89,000 offences have been registered and 17,813 people arrested in Maharashtra so far for violation of lockdown in place for the novel coronavirus
outbreak.

With police deployed in maximum numbers to enforce the lockdown, 342 personnel, comprising 51 officers and 291 constables, have been infected with the virus, an official said, adding that most were from the Mumbai and Malegaon belts.

The official said that they registered 171 cases of assault on policemen and arrested 657 people. A total of 628 people who violated quarantine norms were held and re-isolated. At least 82,128 calls were handled by the police across the state during lockdown.

Police have registered 1,242 offences of illegal transport and seized 51,013 vehicles, and collected fines totaling Rs 3.14 crore in this connection, the official added.

Mumbai civic officials stated that 89 new cases were reported in Dharavi on Saturday and 38 new cases on Friday which took the total count of cases in the area up to 496. Among other areas, Kumbharwada continued to be a hot spot with 16 new cases in two days while Kunchikurve Nagar had 10 new cases. 

Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Shambhuraj Desai said that some people had attacked police personnel at three to four places in Mumbai. He said that attacks on policemen, who are at the forefront of the battle against the COVID-19 along with doctors, nurses and sanitation workers, will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

Desai also said while a majority of people have obliged the appeal to stay indoors and maintain the lockdown norms, but certain elements are attacking police personnel.

A special train carrying the first batch of migrant workers left for Gorakhpur from Bhiwandi railway station on Saturday night.

The migrant labourers were provided with a kit comprising water bottles, food, packets of biscuits and face masks.

The workers and their families had assembled at a spot in Bhiwandi with the help of police officers after which they were taken to the railway station.