Mumbai Mayor hints at restrictions on local trains

Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar has hinted at additional restrictions that could be imposed in the city from April 2 amid a continuous rise in the coronavirus cases since the last few months in the city.

On Thursday, April 1, Pednekar said that all religious places, malls and theatres might be shut completely as people "do not listen" and flout the COVID-related norms. She added that private offices could be asked to operate in two shifts.

For private offices, the civic body will start random checks to ensure attendance does not go beyond 50 per cent, said Pednekar.

Commenting about the curbs on local trains, the Mayor stated that the train journey might be restricted to only essential services staff only as in the past.

The statement comes as the city reported the highest-ever single-day spike of 8,646 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, April 1, taking the cumulative caseload to 4,23,360.

Moreover, Pednekar assured that preparations for tackling the surge are in full swing, adding that the number of beds has been increased from 16,000 to 25,000.

Also Read: Imposing Night Curfew is necessary right now: Mumbai Mayor

The suburban trains, which are considered as the lifeline of Mumbai, was thrown open for all after a gap of about 320 days from February 1 with limited timing.

The general public is allowed to travel in the suburban trains from the time of the start of services for the day till 7 am, from 12 noon to 4 pm, and from 9 pm till the closure of services for the day. From 7 am to 12 noon and from 4 pm to 9 pm, only employees of the essential services and categories of commuters specified by the Maharashtra government and the Ministry of Railways are permitted to travel in local trains.

Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal clarified that lockdown is less likely to be imposed in Mumbai. He also stated that there are no instructions to stop the local train as of now but the situation will be reviewed in 15 days.

With 18 more people succumbing to the disease, the toll in the financial capital of the country has mounted to 11,704. There are 55,005 active cases in Mumbai and the total number of people who have recovered stands at 3,55,691.