As Mumbai records a surge in Covid cases, a lockdown is a possibility, a top Mumbai official warned today. But whether the city will go into lockdown mode once again would depend on the people, said Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar.
The Mayor noted that most people travelling on trains did not wear masks.
"It's a matter of concern. Most people travelling in trains don't wear masks. People must take precautions or we will head towards another lockdown," Kishori Pednekar said.
"Whether a lockdown will be implemented again is in the hands of people."
Speaking to NDTV about the possibility of imposing another lockdown in the city, Additional Commissioner of Mumbai civic body BMC Dr Suresh Kakani said, "There is no possibility of a lockdown as of now. But BMC is taking strict measures to conduct contact tracing, testing and ensuring Covid-appropriate behaviour is being followed."
Earlier, the Maharashtra government had also termed the situation "alarming" and warned of "harsh decisions" after the recent spike. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar expressed dismay over people not following Covid precautions.
"Harsh decisions can be taken and people should remain prepared. If certain decisions are not taken in time then we will have to pay a heavy cost later," he said.
Mr Pawar said he had come across reports that people were being lax about precautions.
"The number (of new cases in the state) is alarming. We have seen that lockdown was imposed in many parts of the world again in view of the second wave of the pandemic," he said.
Mumbai on Monday reported 493 Covid cases while the total caseload reached 3,14,569. The total number of deaths is at 11,420.
On Sunday, the number of new cases was 645, the highest in the last five days.
The time taken for doubling of cases has reduced.
In neighbouring Thane, which is part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the number of Covid cases has gone up to 2,58,030 with 285 fresh cases today. One person died, raising the number of dead to 6,203.
On Sunday, Maharashtra reported 4,092 cases, the highest single-day Covid tally in more than a month. Though the numbers dipped again on Monday, the tally remained above 3,000 for the sixth straight day.
Mumbai city is reporting the highest single-day cases in the state with a spike of 493 on Monday.
Apart from Mumbai, Nagpur and Amravati reported over 400 new virus cases in a day on Monday.
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