Fresh COVID guidelines from BMC

In wake of a fresh surge in COVID cases across Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday issued fresh guidelines to make the implementation of COVID norms more stringent, including limited gathering during marriages, fines for face mask violations, hand-stamps on home-quarantine patients, and sealing of buildings where five or more cases are found.

The reinforced guidelines are also a precaution to prevent what several districts in Vidarbha are witnessing — a sudden rise in infectivity.

On Thursday, Mumbai recorded 736 cases, the highest since the year began.

The last time Mumbai’s daily case load crossed 700 was 49 days ago on December 31.

Mumbai’s positively rate stands at 5.4 per cent, up from less than 4 per cent until a month ago.

In Mumbai, 11,430 deaths have been recorded so far, with four new deaths due to Covid-19 on Thursday.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday warned that a lockdown may be enforced if the public overlooks standard procedures of wearing masks in public gatherings.

In an order issued on Thursday, Municipal Commissioner Iqbal S Chahal said that after ‘Mission Begin Again’, many citizens are stepping out of their homes without face masks which is not just unsafe for themselves but also for fellow citizens who may come in close proximity.

The BMC will depute 300 marshals — 100 each at Western, Central and Harbour railway line to enforce the rule of wearing masks while travelling in trains.

In an order issued on Thursday, Chahal authorised clean-up marshals or officers appointed by the civic body to enter railway stations and board suburban trains for strict implementation of the mask rule.

Appointed marshals or officers need not carry a ticket for entering the railway premises, read the order.