Mumbai News

Covid-19 spike: Days after warning of tough measures, Mumbai mayor orders sealing of 1,300 buildings – Hindustan Times

More than a thousand buildings have been sealed in Mumbai after a spike in the number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases. According to BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), as reported by news agency ANI, 1,305 buildings have been sealed after 2,749 cases of Covid-19 were reported.

This comes after the BMC issued a fresh set of guidelines in view of the outbreak. As per the new guidelines, buildings found to have more than five Covid-19 patients will be sealed. The municipal council has also doubled the number of marshals deployed across the city to take actions against people flouting Covid-19 protocols. Around 300 marshals will be deployed in suburban trains to take action against those travelling without masks, according to guidelines.

Also Read | People from Maharashtra, Kerala won’t be permitted to enter Karnataka sans negative Covid certificate: Health minister

The fresh guidelines also say that patients quarantined at home will continue to be stamped as earlier. The administration will also increase the number of tests in wards that are reporting a spike in Covid-19 infection cases. Passengers arriving in Mumbai from Brazil will be put in mandatory institutional quarantine.

Earlier, Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar had urged people to take precautions and warned there would have to be another lockdown if the laxity in Covid-19 behviour continues. She said it “is in people’s hands,” whether another lockdown would be imposed or not.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka government issued a circular under which it made negative RT-PCR certificate compulsory for passengers arriving in the state from Maharashtra. The regulation is applicable for all travelling from flights, buses, trains or personal transports and the report should not be older than 72 hours, as per the notice.

As of Friday evening, Mumbai has a total of 317,310 cases of Covid-19 infection. The death toll is at 11,437. Maharashtra, meanwhile, has 20,87,632 cases of infection. It added 6,112 cases on Friday in the sharpest spike in three months.

Experts have attributed relaxations in Covid-19 norms as a reason behind the surge in cases. These “small curves” (spurts in infections) are happening due to lax behaviour as gatherings, weddings and various functions are happening and no physical distancing is being followed, news agency PTI quoted Dr Murlidhar Tambe, Dean of B J Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital, as saying.

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Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bmc-seals-more-than-1-300-buildings-as-covid-19-cases-continue-to-surge-in-mumbai-101613820348285.html