Congress leader Chandrakant Handore returned home last night after COVID-19 recovery.
Flouting social distancing rules, a huge crowd of supporters gathered to welcome senior Congress leader Chandrakant Handore in Mumbai last night when he returned to his home after recovering from coronavirus. Amid the beating of drums, some of the supporters were even seen bursting crackers.
Visuals from last night show a large number of supporters waiting to catch a glimpse of the former minister as he steps out from his car outside his home. Many of them are seen capturing videos on their phones.
The crowd of supporters - jostling for space - clap as the 57-year-old leader comes out of his car.
The highly contagious COVID-19 spreads fast in crowded spaces and repeated appeals have been made by the centre and states to ensure social distancing.
Another video shows some men, wearing masks, bursting fire crackers.
The clips have emerged at a time when the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise in Mumbai, one of the worst-hit cities in the country with 38,442 cases.
Across Maharashtra, which is the worst-affected state in the country, 2, 940 new cases - the most in a single day - were reported on Saturday, taking the total to 65,168 cases.
Last night, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar went into a huddle for over 40 minutes to hammer out the details of the way forward for the state, sources said.
The centre has already announced that all services and places outside coronavirus containment zones, except a select list including international flights and gyms, can reopen after June 1.
The Chief Minister had earlier said that while these relaxations will be applied to large parts of the state, Mumbai itself is unlikely to see any let-up.