Lockdown in Mumbai? As COVID-19 cases surge, here’s what Guardian Minister said

Amid a rise in the number of coronavirus cases in Mumbai, Guardian Minister Aslam Sheikh on Tuesday said that partial lockdown or night curfew can’t be ruled out in the commercial capital if the recent spurt in COVID-19 cases is not contained soon. Shaikh said that local authorities have been empowered to take appropriate decisions in this regard as and when required. “If the number of cases continues to rise in the city, we cannot rule out the possibility of a partial lockdown or a night curfew,” the minister was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Urging people to take all necessary precautions, the minister said that the administration may have to close places like Gateway of India or beaches where crowds usually gather in the evenings.

Shaikh also emphasised that people not wearing masks are being penalised. The statement comes at a time when the metropolis has been witnessing a daily spike of over 1,000 cases for the last few days. So far 3,34,583 COVID-19 cases have been reported in the city and the disease has caused 11,508 deaths, as per official figures.

Maharashtra Covid-19 update: Lockdown imposed in 16 hotspots of Thane; check dates, guidelines

There has been a sharp rise in the average daily growth rate of coronavirus in Mumbai. It has increased to 0.31 per cent from 0.17 per cent on February 18 this year. BMC data showed that the number of days required in the doubling of COVID-19 cases have dropped to 225 days from earlier 417 days.

So far 34,34,610 COVID-19 tests have been done in the city, out of which 17,849 samples were examined on Monday.

Meanwhile, Thane administration on Tuesday imposed a complete lockdown in at 16 hotspots. The lockdown will be in place till March 31. Thane Municipal Commissioner Vipin Sharma said that the decision has been taken because of recent surge in the number of coronavirus cases in those areas.