Mumbai News Live Updates: Active Covid-19 cases rise in city, Maharashtra

The BMC on Friday sealed a pathology lab in Dadar (West) after 12 staffers were treated positive for Covid-19. The BMC’s G-North ward sealed Dr Lal Pathlab after one of the staffers, Vijay Rane, tested positive on December 22. Contact tracing revealed that 12 of his contacts, all colleagues at the pathlab, were also Covid-19 positive. The lab is located on Dadar’s Shankar Ghanekar Marg.

Nerul swimmer Shubham Vanmali (26), who is a Shivchhatrapati awardee, created a record of sorts by completing solo swimming for a distance of 140km sea route from Gateway of India to Dahanu Beach in Palghar district. He took five days to accomplish the feat. During the course of his attempt, he swam for an accumulated 28 hours and 40 minutes and was assisted by the escort boat while keeping himself floating the rest of the time. Vanmali claims to be the first Indian to do so. READ MORE

The ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) has issued a show cause notice to Ratnagiri-based Sai Resort — formerly owned by state transport minister Anil Parab — for allegedly violating coastal regulation zone notification 2011. The notice is issued under the Environment Protection Act, 1972.The resort, located on plot number 446, is now owned by one Sadanand Kadam. The building, road and other structures fall within 200 metres of the high tide zone, which qualifies as no-development zone under CRZ-III, as per the notice issued by Dr H Kharkwal, additional director, CRZ. READ MORE

The BMC on Friday suspended three staffers from its solid waste management department (SWM) after a conservancy worker allegedly died by suicide over non-payment of his salary for close to two years.The safai kamgar, Ramesh Parmar (27), had consumed poison on Tuesday at the office since he was under financial pressure, according to his uncle Pitambar. Ramesh was admitted to HBT Trauma Hospital in Jogeshwari, and later to Parel’s KEM Hospital, where he was declared dead late on Thursday. He is survived by his brother and mother. READ MORE

Assistant inspector Vikram Patil has been suspended from the city police force a day after he reportedly assaulted the cashier at Swagat Restaurant Dining Bar in Santa Cruz (E). A departmental inquiry has been initiated against Patil based on the non-cognizable offence (NC) under section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code that has been filed against him with Vakola police station. He was in charge of the Anti-terror cell. The hotel staff said they would have even served food to Patil if he had been polite, instead he barged inside illegally through the back door of the kitchen and created a ruckus.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has de-attached assets worth Rs 1,000 crore, including the building that once housed Rhythm House music store at Kala Ghoda, a Nepeansea Road flat, an office building in Kurla and jewellery, of diamantaire Nirav Modi on court order for auction to recover the Punjab National Bank (PNB) dues.The National Company Law Tribunal has appointed a liquidator to auction the properties. READ MORE

Maharashtra’s Omicron tally crossed 100 on Friday with an addition of 20 new cases. The state now has 108 confirmed cases of the mutated variant; of the patients, 54 have already been discharged, state officials said. A health department report stated that of the 20 new cases, 11 were from Mumbai, five from Pune cantonment and one from Pune city. Two cases were from Satara and one from Ahmednagar. READ MORE

Owing to the surge in Covid-19 cases and the threat of the Omicron variant looming large ahead of the festive season, the Maharashtra government on Friday issued fresh curbs in the state even as the BMC banned all new year events in Mumbai. The state order has placed restrictions on attendance in weddings, social, political and religious functions. Cinema halls, gyms, spas and restaurants will continue operating at 50% capacity. They have been asked to prominently declare their 100% capacity as per the licence.

Praying for a swift end to the Covid pandemic, the Christian community began Christmas celebrations with Vigil mass Friday evening. Churches advanced midnight mass timings by two to four hours owing to Covid protocol.Archbishop of Bombay Oswald Cardinal Gracias delivered mass at 8pm at Holy Name Cathedral instead of the usual hour of 10.30pm.Bishop John Rodrigues of Mt Mary Basilica permitted 80 people each for multiple masses given limited indoor capacity. However, those who sought ‘darshan’ of the holy statue were allowed to file past.

The BMC on Friday made a seven-day home quarantine compulsory for all passengers arriving from Dubai, a travel hub where many change flights leading to mixing of people. Fully-vaccinated city residents won't have to undergo an RT-PCR test at the airport. After seven days, if they test negative they will have to self-monitor for a week more and if they test positive, they will be moved to institutional quarantine.

The government's order states that not more than 100 guests will be allowed at weddings held in closed venues. At open-air venues, the limit has been set at 250 guests or 25% of capacity, whichever is less. The same rules apply to social, political and religious events.

There has been a 37% rise in the weekly Covid-19 caseload in the city, with 2,554 cases registered between December 18 and 24 as against 1,447 cases between December 11 and 17. While there is no official word on the spread of Omicron within the community, the daily tally in Mumbai continued to rise with 673 cases on Friday. The caseload has been growing at over 15% every day in the last few days.