Kumbh devotees will give corona as ‘prasad’ to all, says Mumbai mayor

Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar suggested that the city should be brought under complete lockdown in view of spiraling COVID-19 cases, which crossed 5.62 lakh on Saturday (April 17).

Pednekar rued the fact that some people are not following COVID-19 restrictions, which is causing trouble for all. “Ninety-five per cent of Mumbaikars are adhering to Covid-19 restrictions. The remaining 5% of people who are not following restrictions are causing problems to others. I think a complete lockdown should be imposed looking at the current Covid-19 situation,” Pednekar said, according to news agency ANI.

At present, Maharashtra is under a partial lockdown after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray imposed a 15-day curfew four days back.

‘Pilgrims from Kumbh will distribute coronavirus as prasad’

Devotees coming back from the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar will distribute coronavirus as “prasad” in their respective states, said Pednekar.

The mayor said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is thinking of quarantining people returning to Mumbai from Haridwar. “The cost of quarantine will be bore by the devotees,” she added.

“Those returning from Kumbh Mela to their respective states will distribute corona as ‘prasad’. All these people should be quarantined in their respective states at their own cost,” ANI quoted Pednekar as saying.

Also read: Amid record 2.34 lakh new cases, PM tells seers: ‘Keep Kumbh Mela symbolic’

The ongoing Kumbh Mela on the banks of Ganga in Haridwar has come under sharp focus as lakhs took a royal bath (Shahi Snan) in the river last Monday. The number of COVID cases has been rising in Haridwar since last few days, resulting in Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealing for celebrating “symbolic Kumbh”. The Uttarakhand government, however, is yet to take a decision on calling off the Kumbh, which officially ends on April 30.

Mumbai COVID statistics

The maximum city on Friday (April 16) reported 8,803 cases and 53 deaths. The total rose to 5,62,207, and 12,250 deaths since April last year. Mumbai now has 84,378 active cases with a cumulative case fatality rate (death rate) of 1.39%.

Since April 1, the city has reported 147,434 cases and 560 deaths. The worst affected areas are Bandra West, Goregaon, Colaba, Malabar Hill, Grant Road, Matunga and Andheri.

Also read: Uddhav Thackeray urges PM to declare pandemic as ‘natural calamity’

How many hospital beds does Mumbai have?

BMC commissioner IS Chahal said at a review meeting attended by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that Mumbai has 20,400 beds in 153 dedicated COVID hospitals The number of beds will soon be increased to 22,000, he said. “We have 3,900 available beds at present,” the commissioner said, adding that 2 lakh vials of Remdesivir were being purchased, while 25,000 were available.

India recorded its highest-ever single-day surge in cases with over 2.34 lakh new patients and more than 1,300 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry on Saturday.