Tests increasing, cases dipping a good sign for Mumbai: BMC chief

The city on Tuesday recorded 954 Covid-19 cases, its second-lowest 24-hour count in 63 days, which Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief Iqbal Singh Chahal

The city on Tuesday recorded 954 Covid-19 cases, its second-lowest 24-hour count in 63 days, which Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief Iqbal Singh Chahal termed a “good sign”, as the number of samples tested daily have increased, but the rise in cases has plateaued.

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“I was expecting cases to increase as our testing increased. Testing has gone up by 2,000 to 3,000 samples every day, and cases are coming down…,” said Chahal, who was appointed civic chief in May, when the pandemic was peaking in Mumbai.

On opening up local trains and malls for Mumbaiites, Chahal said the decision would be taken based on cases in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). “If the situation in MMR is akin to what the situation is in Mumbai today, I would immediately recommend opening up of malls and gyms,” said the BMC chief, adding that Mumbai “does not have a lockdown in the real sense anymore”.

“Every two-wheeler and four-wheeler is allowed to come on the road… Mumbai has allowed 100% shops to remain open in a 48-hour cycle… On an average, we have a crore people on the roads every day, so it cannot be called a lockdown,” he said.