COVID-19 cases may be on a descent, but Mumbai is not quite out of the woods yet. In recent days, cases in the western city have dropped considerably, with Wednesday's tally falling to 871 new cases. At the same time, the recovery rate continues to be high, with the total number of active cases now at a little more than 8,000.
Officials are cautiously optimistic at present, urging people to not let down their guard even as the numbers drop. "Even though Mumbai’s COVID-19 numbers are in three figures, we must take all possible precautions. We discussed multiple scenarios, our preparations to control an expected surge in COVID-19 numbers, in a review meet with DMCs of BMC, in presence of Collector Borrikar ji and AMC Kakani ji,' State Environment and Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray had tweeted a day earlier.
According to a Hindustan Times report, similar comments about the possibility of a spike in cases have also been echoed by the BMC. A second wave of infections is likely in the run-up to New Year’s Eve, officials have said. While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials say that a decision on whether or not to curtail new year celebrations is yet to be taken, officials have touched upon the possibility of restricted celebrations in case of a surge in December.
In the post Diwali season, officials are anticipating a surge in cases, and have accordingly urged people to continue to take precautions. “If there is a second wave or surge in the cases in December, we might limit the New Year celebrations accordingly. If the cases are stable, celebrations might be allowed with certain restrictions,” the article quoted a BMC official to add.
In related news, the pan-India COVID-19 tally, while lower than that of previous months, has shown an 18% spike, with over 45,500 positive cases being recorded over the last 24 hours. Currently, there are around 4.43 lakh active cases in the country.
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