Mumbai Could Witness 2nd COVID Wave Around New Year's Eve; There's Still Time To Prevent It

After Delhi, Maharashtra may witness a second wave of coronavirus infections that may end up till February, reports say.

While the number of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai has declined, the second wave of infections cannot be ruled out. The city may witness a rise in coronavirus cases in the run-up to New Year¡¯s Eve forcing authorities to impose curb on celebrations and social gatherings.

BCCL

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials said a final decision on whether New Year celebrations will be allowed in hotels and restaurants will be taken next month following a review. They added in case of a surge in the cases in December, several restrictions may be imposed on the celebrations.

Mumbai braces for new wave

"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," a BMC official said, as per the report.

BCCL

This as restaurants and bars have been allowed to operate at a maximum of 50 percent capacity in Mumbai. The state government has also limited the number of guests at events like marriages to 50.

Remember, the BMC had allowed the implementation of a 24x7 nightlife plan for Mumbai two months before the pandemic forced measures for social distancing in March. Malls and restaurants were planned to be allowed to stay open through the night as part of the plan in non-residential areas. The COVID-19 outbreak, however, thwarted the Mumbai govt's plans.

Reuters

On November 19, the city reported 924 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 2,72,449. The death toll mounted to 10,624 with 12 more fatalities. Mumbai currently has 8,474 active cases of COVID-19, as per BMC's latest update.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally went up to 17,63,055 with the addition of 5,535 cases. The count of active patients is now 79,738.

India's COVID-19 numbers

After a dip in the daily coronavirus case count for some days, India is again witnessing a surge in fresh infections as 45,576 confirmed cases were reported on Thursday. The country's COVID-19 tally has risen to 89,58,484 including 83,83,602 recoveries and 4,43,303 active cases. With 585 new deaths, the cumulative toll mounted to 1,31,578.

Representational Image/PTI

Meanwhile, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday said he was confident that COVID-19 vaccine would be ready in the next three-four months and added that the priority to provide the same to 135 crore Indians would be based on scientific evaluation.