Coronavirus second wave: BMC may restrict New Year's Eve celebrations in Mumbai if COVID-19 cases surge

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While the number of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai has declined, the second wave of infections cannot be ruled out. The city may witness a rise in coronavirus cases in the run-up to New Year’s Eve forcing authorities to impose curb on celebrations and social gatherings.

A final decision on whether New Year celebrations will be allowed in hotels and restaurants will be taken in December following a review, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials said, as per a report in Hindustan Times.

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Officials further said that several restrictions may be imposed on the celebrations if the city witnesses a surge in coronavirus cases in December.

"If there is a second wave or surge in the cases in December, we might limit the New Year celebrations accordingly. If the cases are stable, celebrations might be allowed with certain restrictions," a BMC official said, as per the report.

Restaurants and bars have been allowed to operate at a maximum of 50 percent capacity in Mumbai. The state government has also limited the number of guests at events like marriages to 50.

Cases in Mumbai have registered a steady rise after 409 new coronavirus patients were detected on November 16, the lowest daily count since April.
On November 17 and 18, the city had recorded 541 and 871 new cases, respectively.

On November 19, the city reported 924 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 2,72,449. The death toll mounted to 10,624 with 12 more fatalities. Mumbai currently has 8,474 active cases of COVID-19, as per BMC's latest update.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally went up to 17,63,055 with the addition of 5,535 cases. The count of active patients is now 79,738.

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