Thane to go under lockdown again?

Additional civic commissioner Ganesh Deshmukh on Sunday asked residents from 22 areas to stock up essentials, raising speculations of a lockdown at these places.

Additional civic commissioner Ganesh Deshmukh on Sunday asked residents from 22 areas to stock up essentials, raising speculations of a lockdown at these places. Some of these areas include Balkum, Kolshet, Dhokali, Ram Maruti Road, Manpada, some parts of Ghodbunder Road, Lokmanya Nagar, Savarkar Nagar, Shanti Nagar, Kisan Nagar, Wagle Estate, Padwal Nagar, Warli Pada and Indira Nagar.

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With 341 new cases, the total number of Covid-19 cases in the city reached 8,168, while the death toll is now at 277, after 14 new deaths.

“The increase in crowding in some areas and the sudden spike in the cases have led us to consider implementing a lockdown in these areas. The commissioner will take a final call on Monday, but I request residents to be prepared and cooperate with the civic body. Those in the hot spots [Kalwa, Mumbra, Kausa, Kopri and Naupada] have to be more careful and avoid stepping out of their homes except for essential services,” said Deshmukh.

While essential services will continue to remain operational in these areas, the movement of residents will be restricted. “We deployed a strict nakabandi at all points within the Thane Commissionerate. If we find passengers in vehicles beyond the permissible numbers, we shall confiscate the vehicles. No one should be roaming unnecessarily,” said Amit Kale, deputy commissioner of police, Thane traffic division.

Meanwhile, some malls and salons have reopened in the city after more than 100 days.

“We have given time slots for our customers, and based on prior appointments they visit our salon. We have made all necessary safety arrangements, from providing sanitisers to ensuring everyone wears safety gears such as mask and gloves at the salon. We are also cleaning all equipment at regular intervals,” said Javed Shaikh, owner of Kraft Salon at Patlipada.

Meanwhile, popular malls in Thane have made available time slots online for customers. Those who wish to visit malls have one have to take appointments, following which a QR code will be provided to them, through which they can gain access to the mall. This step is taken in a bid to ensure fewer inside the mall, making it easier to maintain social distancing norms.