No weekend lockdown in Mumbai for now; night curfew imposed in Maharashtra as COVID-19 cases rise

Mumbai: Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar has said that weekend lockdown will not be imposed in the city for now. She further said that 2500 beds are available at the BKC Jumbo COVID-19 Centre and that so far there are no ICU patients at the centre.

"2500 beds are available at the BKC Jumbo COVID19 Centre. So far, there are no ICU patients at the centre. Most patients are asymptomatic. Weekend lockdown will not be imposed for now," said Pednekar.

Dr Rajesh Dere, dean of BKC Jumbo COVID-19 vaccination centre added that there have been no deaths at the centre since December 1. "From December 1 till now, we have 936 patients onboard with 100 daily admissions. Most patients do not need oxygen support. Till now, we have not had any mortality at the centre," said Dr Rajesh Dere.

Maharashtra has reported 41,434 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the state health department informed on Saturday. With this, the active cases in the state mounted to 1,73,238. Of 41,434 new COVID-19 cases, 20,318 new infections have been recorded in Mumbai.

Night curfew imposed in Maharashtra

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government on Saturday imposed a night curfew between 11 pm to 5 am from January 10. As per the new COVID-19 guidelines, the movement of people in groups of five or more has been restricted from 5 am to 11 pm and no movement has been allowed from 11 pm to 5 am, except for essential services. Further, no movement will be allowed in public from 11 pm to 5 am except for essential services, a government circular said.  

-Schools and colleges will be closed till February 15 except for activities required to be undertaken for class 10 and 12 students and administrative activities of teachers, it said. 

-No visitors will be allowed at government offices except with written permission of office heads. Online interaction facility will be provided for people through video conferences. 

-Government offices should opt for work from home and working hours should be staggered if work from office is required, the circular said. 

-Private offices have also been asked to rationalize the number of employees coming to work by allowing work from home and staggering working hours. Attendance at marriages and social, religious, cultural or political gatherings will be capped at 50. At funerals, not more than 20 persons can remain present.

-Swimming pools, gyms, spas, wellness centres, beauty salons will remain closed. Hair cutting salons will function at 50 percent capacity. Sporting events would be deferred, except national and international-level competitions already scheduled. But such events would take place without spectators and with creation of bio- bubble for players and officials.

-RT-PCR and Rapid Antigen Tests will be mandatory for players and officials every third day of the event or tournament, the circular said. Entertainment parks, zoos, museums, forts and other ticketed places for public will be closed. Shopping malls and market complexes can operate at 50 per cent capacity, and information about the present number of visitors should be displayed on noticeboard.

-Only fully vaccinated people will be allowed to enter malls and shopping complexes, and these establishments will be closed after 10 pm. Restaurants and eateries will also function at 50 per cent capacity and the present number of visitors will be displayed on the notice board. They too can remain open only till 10 pm.

-Cinema theatres and drama halls will also function at 50 percent capacity. Public transport will be allowed only for fully vaccinated persons. Competitive exams, where hall tickets have been issued, will be held as per the central government guidelines. 

-All other future exams will be conducted only after receiving permission from the State Disaster Management Authority, the circular said.