As daily infections go down, Mumbai may be restriction-free soon – Hindustan Times

Maharashtra on Tuesday reported 6,107 new Covid-19 cases – its lowest single-day tally since December 30, last year. The daily cases have been seeing a drop since February 3, indicating that the third wave is on the decline. On Wednesday, the state cabinet could discuss more relaxations.

Mumbai recorded 447 fresh infections and one death, taking the toll to 16,667. Maharashtra added 57 deaths, pushing the fatality count to 1,43,155. While the state’s active cases dipped below one lakh to 96,690, the number for Mumbai stands at 4,783.

Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to lift all restrictions in the coming months with unlocking beginning in phases by February-end. Other than the downward trend of new infections, the vaccination percentage in the city has reached 94. Further, there are zero containment zones and no sealed buildings.

According to BMC officials, of the 9.2 million people above 18 years, over 8.7 million have been fully vaccinated. It is expected that by the end of this month, Mumbai will have 100% full vaccination.

Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal told HT: “We are going to wait and watch if all restrictions can be lifted in the coming months as cases go down.”

On the other hand, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Tuesday told reporters that the city will be unlocked by the end of February.

The total case tally in the city is 1,051,258. The daily positivity rate on Tuesday was 1.29%. There are 1,026,994 recoveries and the mortality rate stands at 1.58%. The city’s hospitalisation rate is 3.6%.

The BMC has the scope to allow restaurants and bars to run at full capacity from existing 50% and gyms and fitness centres to remain open at full capacity, followed by lifting restrictions on gatherings like marriages, parties, and funerals.

This is the very first time that the city has no sealed buildings or floors officially on record since the beginning of the pandemic. This is a clear indication, according to the civic officials, that the third wave has passed.

As per data, over 66,000 buildings or floors were sealed and eventually released by the BMC. More than 2,700 containment zones have been released.

State health department officials said with the drop in daily caseload, the positivity rate is also decreasing. “The [daily] positivity rate was 10.31% on February 3, and it has been dropping since then, which is encouraging, and we hope the trend continues,” a senior official who did not wish to be named said. On Tuesday, the positivity rate was 5.37%.

The health department will give the weekly presentation to the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues on Wednesday over the Covid-19 situation. Officials said though there is no formal proposal to lift curbs, the ministers are expected to discuss more relaxations in the coming days. “Looking at the figures of the last couple of weeks, we could see a complete lifting of curbs by this month-end. However, the chief minister will take a final call after consulting the task force and the health minister,” a senior bureaucrat said.

The health department official further said the situation in Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar has improved. Districts such as Nashik, Ahmednagar, Amravati, Nagpur, and Buldhana have been reporting a chunk of infections daily. “Though these districts contribute to the daily caseload of the state, the infectivity has reduced in these areas as well,” he said.

On Tuesday, Pune city reported the highest number of cases at 961, followed by Pimpri-Chinchwad with 479 cases. Nagpur city recorded 423 new cases, while Ahmednagar rural added 356 infections. Nashik district, including Malegaon, logged 435 cases. Amravati city and Buldhana district registered 111 and 113 new cases, respectively.