Mumbai mayor clarifies when COVID lockdown will be imposed in the city
The mayor said BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has been keeping a close watch on the situation, and he has already hinted about the lockdown if the COVID-19 cases in the city rise over 20,000.
- Jan 4, 2022,
- Updated Jan 4, 2022 3:45 PM IST
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Tuesday said as per the Union government's rules, lockdown will be imposed in the city if the daily COVID-19 cases cross the 20,000-mark. The financial capital of India is witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases since last week.
Pednekar suggested that citizens wear triple-layer masks while traveling in public buses and local trains. She also appealed to them to get vaccinated at the earliest and follow all COVID-19-related standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray might address the citizens in a couple of days, she said. To a query, Pednekar said the BMC will carry out RT-PCR tests of people returning from Goa by a cruise ship and quarantine them at civic centers, or in hotels if they are ready to pay for it.
Notably, the cruise ship, where 66 of over 2,000 people on board tested positive for coronavirus, was sent back to Mumbai from Goa late Monday night with all the passengers after some of the infected persons refused to get admitted to a medical facility there, an official from a shipping agency said.
The mayor said BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has been keeping a close watch on the situation, and he has already hinted about the lockdown if the COVID-19 cases in the city rise over 20,000.
"Today, no one wants a lockdown and it certainly shouldn't be imposed, as just now everyone is recovering from it. If the lockdown is enforced again, it will badly affect everyone. But if the daily COVID-19 cases cross the 20,000 mark, a lockdown will be implemented by the civic body and the state government as per the Union government's rules," Pednekar said.
She appealed to citizens to follow COVID-19-appropriate behavior, avoid overcrowding in markets, malls, and marriage functions, and wear masks properly.
The mayor also appealed to people to hold marriage functions as per the rules and ensure such events do not prove to be COVID-19 super-spreaders.
She said that only six Omicron patients are admitted in Mumbai hospitals currently, and all other persons infected by the new COVID-19 variant have been discharged.
On Monday, the country's financial capital reported 8,082 COVID-19 cases, the highest daily count since April 18, 2021, taking the caseload beyond the eight lakh mark, while two more patients succumbed to the infection.
Mumbai also reported 40 new cases of the Omicron variant, pushing the number of such infections to 368 in the metropolis, according to the Maharashtra government's health department.
With fresh additions, the city's coronavirus tally rose to 8,07,602, while the death toll increased to 16,379 on Monday, as per official data.
(With inputs from PTI)
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Tuesday said as per the Union government's rules, lockdown will be imposed in the city if the daily COVID-19 cases cross the 20,000-mark. The financial capital of India is witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases since last week.
Pednekar suggested that citizens wear triple-layer masks while traveling in public buses and local trains. She also appealed to them to get vaccinated at the earliest and follow all COVID-19-related standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray might address the citizens in a couple of days, she said. To a query, Pednekar said the BMC will carry out RT-PCR tests of people returning from Goa by a cruise ship and quarantine them at civic centers, or in hotels if they are ready to pay for it.
Notably, the cruise ship, where 66 of over 2,000 people on board tested positive for coronavirus, was sent back to Mumbai from Goa late Monday night with all the passengers after some of the infected persons refused to get admitted to a medical facility there, an official from a shipping agency said.
The mayor said BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has been keeping a close watch on the situation, and he has already hinted about the lockdown if the COVID-19 cases in the city rise over 20,000.
"Today, no one wants a lockdown and it certainly shouldn't be imposed, as just now everyone is recovering from it. If the lockdown is enforced again, it will badly affect everyone. But if the daily COVID-19 cases cross the 20,000 mark, a lockdown will be implemented by the civic body and the state government as per the Union government's rules," Pednekar said.
She appealed to citizens to follow COVID-19-appropriate behavior, avoid overcrowding in markets, malls, and marriage functions, and wear masks properly.
The mayor also appealed to people to hold marriage functions as per the rules and ensure such events do not prove to be COVID-19 super-spreaders.
She said that only six Omicron patients are admitted in Mumbai hospitals currently, and all other persons infected by the new COVID-19 variant have been discharged.
On Monday, the country's financial capital reported 8,082 COVID-19 cases, the highest daily count since April 18, 2021, taking the caseload beyond the eight lakh mark, while two more patients succumbed to the infection.
Mumbai also reported 40 new cases of the Omicron variant, pushing the number of such infections to 368 in the metropolis, according to the Maharashtra government's health department.
With fresh additions, the city's coronavirus tally rose to 8,07,602, while the death toll increased to 16,379 on Monday, as per official data.
(With inputs from PTI)