Amid the recent surge in Covid-19 cases and consequent tightening of norms to contain the spread in Mumbai, municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal on Tuesday said no new lockdown measures will be announced in Mumbai and also no night curfew, as of now.
This was after Chahal’s review meeting with Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday evening. Chahal told, “No new lockdown measures are introduced in Mumbai. There are no micro containment zones in Mumbai”.
According to civic officials, the surge in cases is a result of an increase in daily testing. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has ramped up testing significantly from 11,000 to 15,000 tests conducted in January to over 20,000 at present.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh on Tuesday said if COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the city, the possibility of a night curfew or partial lockdown cannot be ruled out. Shaikh said local authorities have been empowered to take a decision on lockdown as and when necessary.
Mumbai recorded 1,012 cases on Tuesday, taking the total number in the city to 335584. The fatality was among the lowest, at 2, on Tuesday, taking the count to 11,506.
In the first week of February, the number of new cases was fewer than 400, but there was a steady rise from February 10 onwards, when the number of cases rose to over 500. Some attributed the spike to the resumption of local train networks for all commuters.