Mumbai: Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said Tuesday that if the daily Covid-19 cases here cross the 20,000-mark, a lockdown will be imposed in the city as per the Union government’s rules. Kishori Pednekar was Talking to reporters at her office in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters. She suggested that citizens wear triple-layer masks while travelling in buses and local trains.
Pednekar also appealed to the people to get vaccinated at the earliest. She urged them to follow all Covid-19 related standard operating procedures (SOPs). Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray might address the citizens in a couple of days, she said.
Pednekar said the BMC will carry out RT-PCR tests of people returning from Goa by a cruise ship. They will either be quarantined at civic centres, or in hotels if they are ready to pay for it.
Notably, the cruise ship, where 66 of over 2,000 people on board tested positive for coronavirus, was sent back to Mumbai from Goa late Monday night. The passengers were not allowed to get down after some of the infected persons refused to get admitted to a medical facility there, an official from a shipping agency said.
Pednekar said BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has been keeping a close watch on the situation. He has already hinted about the lockdown if the Covid-19 cases in the city rise over 20,000.
“Today, no one wants a lockdown and it certainly shouldn’t be imposed, as just now everyone is recovering from it. If the lockdown is enforced again, it will badly affect everyone. But, if the daily Covid-19 cases cross the 20,000 mark, a lockdown will be implemented by the civic body,” Pednekar said.
The mayor also appealed to people to hold marriage functions as per the rules. She asked people to ensure such events do not prove to be Covid-19 super-spreaders.