‘Nobody wants lockdown but..’: Mumbai mayor warns of stricter Covid-19 norms – Hindustan Times

Mumbai’s mayor Kishori Pednekar on Friday warned of tougher restrictions in the city as she said people continued to be negligent despite the rising cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Pednekar’s warning comes a day after Mumbai recorded the highest single-day spike of 8,646 cases on Thursday and hours before chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is set to hold a meeting over the surge in infections across Maharashtra.

Thackeray will address the state at 8:30pm after Friday’s meeting with officials over the Covid-19 situation in the state and is likely to announce fresh curbs. The chief minister has already declared a state-wide night curfew from Sunday under the Maharashtra government’s ‘Mission Begin Again’ programme.

Follow latest updates on Covid-19 here

“Nobody wants lockdown but keeping in mind the manner in which cases are rising and creating pressure on the health infrastructure, some strict measures will have to be taken,” the Mumbai mayor told news agency ANI.

The western state witnessed a record jump of 43,183 Covid-19 cases on Thursday, which is the highest single-day spike since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. As many as 139 fatalities were also reported, data showed.

“Due to the surge, a shortage of beds and ventilators is also being seen. We had been appealing to people since last March but they are showing carelessness,” Pednekar said pointing to infrastructural challenges following the spike.

The mayor hinted at stricter curbs including shutting of malls, religious places, and restrictions on travel in local trains on Thursday. She, however, said there were enough beds to accommodate the increasing number of Covid-19 patients. “There are enough beds to handle the increasing number of cases, but we have to act wisely before the city enters the danger zone,” she told reporters.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has maintained it has not decided about the lockdown yet. In order to curb the chain of transmission, the civic body has asked officials to ensure that home isolated patients monitor their health and take treatment for the viral infection.