At least 79 new cases were reported in Maharashtra'sPune district on Tuesday, taking the COVID-19 count to 2,201and toll to 120 in the region.
Divisional commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar said theauthorities will conduct targeted testing in the five worst-affected wards of the Pune Municipal Corporation, which mayincrease the number of cases in the next eight to 10 days.
"At present, we conduct 600 to 800 tests per day.However, we have decided to ramp up the process and test atleast 800 to 1,000 samples a day," he said.
As many as 13 labs in the city, with a collectivecapacity of 1,250, were testing COVID-19 samples, Mhaisekarsaid.
"We will increase the capacity to 1,700, as two moreprivate labs have been roped in for testing," he said.
Speaking about measures taken in hotspot areas of thefive severely-hit wards, the senior official said commontoilets were sanitised on a regular basis, people were shiftedto other places to prevent crowding and screening of seniorcitizens has also been increased in these zones.
The civic body had distributed masks and sanitisers atslums in these affected wards, he added. SPKARU ARU