In 30 days, Navi Mumbai’s active cases up by 83 per cent

Municipal commissioner says city must check its behaviour, cooperate with civic body to prevent disaster, next 2 weeks crucial

The surge in COVID-19 in February in several cities in the state did not spare Navi Mumbai either. The active cases in the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s (NMMC) jurisdiction went up by 83 per cent in the past 30 days. The cases, which had reduced to 737, reached 1,350 on March 2. Daily cases which had reduced to 50 have been crossing the 100 mark for the past 12 days.

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NMMC tweeted this photo of civic officials and police personnel acting against those flouting COVID rules. Pic/Twitter

NMMC officials warned citizens that if they don’t comply with rules, it will turn out to be a disaster till the end of March. Considering the extremely crucial next two weeks, the top brass of the NMMC is on the streets, urging citizens to maintain physical distance and use masks.

The NMMC had managed to curb the COVID-19 pandemic till the start of February after a long battle of 10 months. Average daily cases dipped to 37. COVID-related deaths had also reduced in January (35) and continued to remain low in February (34). Rising cases have now become a concern for the authorities.

“This growth in daily cases and active cases is alarming. If we compare the data from February with that from January, there is consistent growth observed in the number of cases past February 10. If this trend continues, we will be in a difficult situation at the end of March,” said an NMMC officer. “We have put curbs on mass gatherings, have announced heavy penalties too, but it has to be followed. Otherwise, this trend will have serious repercussions.” As the cases started rising, it was said that it’s the result of local trains resuming.

NMMC Commissioner Abhijeet Bangar said, “We have done awareness campaigns, mass testing and enough sensitisation drives for Navi Mumbai residents. But negligence has shown its result. We are now moving towards a disaster unless we check our behaviour in the next two weeks. NMMC will act strictly against violators but if citizens also reciprocate, we can definitely stop this growth.”

In action mode
NMMC recently announced a R50,000 fine for banquet and marriage halls, if they allow a gathering of more than 50 people for any function. All top officials, including Bangar, are going to be on the field to keep an eye on crowding and violations. On Tuesday, Bangar visited APMC and warned traders of action if they don’t comply with COVID-19 regulations.

Navi Mumbai’s COVID report
Total cases in Navi Mumbai: 55,665
Total recovered: 53,194
Total deaths: 1,121
Active cases on Feb 2: 737
Active cases on March 2: 1,350

37
Average no. of daily cases in Navi Mumbai in Jan

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