Lockdown in Mumbai amid rising Covid cases? Here's what civic officials say
Will a lockdown be imposed in Mumbai amid the rising coronavirus cases? Well, at least the senior civic officials don't feel the need to bring a lockdown into force.
The city on Monday recorded 1,008 fresh infections that raised its tally to 3,34,572. Meanwhile, 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.
As many as 23,000 COVID tests were conducted by the civic body on Monday.
When asked about the possibility of imposing a lockdown, municipal commissioner Iqbal Chahal said there was no immediate need to do so. As per civic officials, the surge in cases is a result of an increase in daily testing.
An official said the city has recorded a positivity rate of six per cent, which is quite less compared to other cities in Maharashtra. Considering this, there is no immediate need to imposed a lockdown in the metropolis, the official said.
However, the official has warned that if citizens do not follow the COVID-19 protocol, the civic body may be forced to take stringent steps.
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.
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