• Home
• /
• coronavirus
• /
• Life and Living

India: Mayor of Mumbai suggests complete lockdown

Mumbai - Kishori Pednekar says people returning to Mumbai from Kumbh Mela should be put under quarantine.

A complete lockdown should be imposed in Mumbai, said Kishori Pednekar, the city’s mayor on Saturday. She also expressed fears about the ‘prasad’ (a religious food offering) that those returning from the Kumbh Mela would bring, dubbing it as ‘corona prasad.’

Pednekar said that all those returning to Mumbai from Haridwar would be put under quarantine. “They should all be quarantined in their respective states at their own cost,” she added.

According to the mayor, 95 per cent of residents in the city were following the Covid-19 restrictions, but it was the remaining five per cent who were causing problems. On Friday, Mumbai reported 8,803 Covid cases (with the total adding up to 562,207) and 53 deaths (12,250 total). The past fortnight has seen nearly 150,000 new cases and 560 deaths.

But like most other places in India, Mumbai is also facing a shortage of hospital beds. Of the nearly 2,700 ICU beds, just 40 are vacant. And of the total 20,000 beds, more than 16,000 are occupied by patients battling Covid.

Maharashtra’s health minister Rajesh Tope has also warned of a stricter lockdown if citizens failed to adhere to the norms. “People are not following the rules resulting in crowding at public places,” he said. “A strict lockdown for 15 days to break the chain of virus transmission is necessary. If the violation continues, we will impose stricter lockdown in the state.”