With 5,000+ fresh coronavirus cases, Mumbai reports highest single-day spike
What's the story
Maharashtra capital Mumbai added 5,185 coronavirus cases to its tally on Wednesday, the highest-ever single-day spike since the outbreak. This includes all of last year and the mid-September peak. The city's civic body — Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) — urged Mumbaikars to strictly adhere to coronavirus-related precautions. Meanwhile, yesterday India's single-day tally crossed 53,000, the highest since October 23. Here are more details.
Tweet
BMC wants Mumbai residents to be vigilant
Informing about the worrying numbers, BMC posted a tweet reading, "High Numbers, High Alert! The number of new cases in the city has crossed the 5,000 mark - highest since the start of the pandemic. (sic)" The residents were urged not to drop their guards. As a precautionary measure, the administration has banned Holi celebrations in public in Mumbai.
Sealed buildings
Hundreds of buildings have been sealed in Mumbai
In the 24-hour span, BMC sealed over 60 buildings across Mumbai, reports HT. On Tuesday, 363 buildings were sealed, and it jumped to 432 in merely one day. Notably, the number of containment zones in slums and chawls didn't increase, suggesting that the spike in COVID-19 cases is restricted to apartments. Andheri West houses the most number of sealed buildings, the report added.
Testing
Civic officials conducting random antigen tests in crowded places
While restrictions have been announced for other districts in the worst-hit state Maharashtra, Mumbai doesn't have specific curbs. The civic body is conducting random antigen tests at crowded places like markets and shopping malls. Last month, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had warned of another lockdown. "Those who don't want a lockdown will wear a mask," he had said.
Details
Pune added over 6,000 new cases to its tally
Like Mumbai, the situation in Pune is also grim. The city reported 6,754 fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, reports IE. Nearly 24,000 tests were conducted. Dr. Subhash Salunkhe, who is advising the Maharashtra government on coronavirus, predicted that these disturbing trends will continue till mid-April unless people change their behavior. "Night curfews and mild restrictions are not really showing any impact," he asserted.
Deaths
Across India, more than 200 died for second consecutive day
Driven by the numbers in Mumbai and Pune, Maharashtra reported 31,855 fresh cases, a new high. The total number of cases in the western state stands at 25,64,881. Separately, Delhi recorded 1,254 new cases, the highest figure since December 18. The daily death toll across India also breached the 200-mark for the second day on Wednesday, pushing the total tally to 1,60,745.