Mumbai crosses 700-new case mark after a month
MUMBAI: Over 700 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Mumbai on Wednesday, after more than a month. On Wednesday, the city recorded 721 new cases and three deaths, taking the case tally to 315,751 and toll to 11,428. Mumbai had last reported over 700 cases on January 6.
The city has been reporting a minor spike in daily Covid-19 cases since February 10. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has attributed this spike to several reasons including gradual unlocking, carelessness by citizens, resuming local trains for all.
Anticipating a spike in cases, BMC has in the past one week taken several measures including tightening grip on housing societies. This was followed by forming teams in the city to ensure that banquet and marriage hall owners are taking adequate safety measures of not allowing gathering of more than 50 people at a time.
Last week, BMC also announced that though state had allowed reopening of colleges from February 15, the civic body will take a final call for colleges in the city after February 22.
Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar on Tuesday said, “We need to ensure that we do not lower our guards. Covid-19 has not gone anywhere. The city might head towards lockdown if citizens do not follow Covid-19 precautions. There were deliberations to reopen school in next two to three days, but now even that has been postponed.”
Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner, said,
“We are witnessing an increase in cases, and any further decision on relaxations or restrictions will be taken by BMC after a review meeting on February 22. Citizens have to continue wearing mask, maintaining social distancing and washing hands frequently to curb the spread of Covid-19.”
He added, “We are targeting marriages and social gatherings for which ward officers have been given targets. I have asked officers to visit shopping malls, restaurants, clubs, etc., to ensure Covid-19 compliance at these establishments.”
Meanwhile, Dr Shashank
Joshi, member of the Maharashtra Covid-19 taskforce, said, “We are seeing a surge in cases and Mumbai is slowly heading towards red zone again. To avoid any further worsening of the situation, BMC needs to reinforce the basics. This includes strict masking, testing, tracing, quarantining. We need to regulate all types of gatherings and ensure that Covid-19 appropriate behaviour is followed here.”
According to figures by the state health department, Mumbai’s fatality rate stands at 3.61% while 298,933 patients have recovered, taking the recovery rate to 94.67%. The city’s overall positivity rate is 10.30% and 3.058 million tests have been conducted so far, according to BMC data.
The city’s average growth rate is 0.16%, but in areas like Mulund, Chembur, Sion, Goregaon, it is above 0.20%. City’s active cases stand at 4,530.
ON WEDNESDAY, 721 NEW CASES AND 3 DEATHS WERE REPORTED, TAKING TALLY TO 315,751 AND TOLL TO 11,428