MUMBAI: A day after cabinet minister Nitin Raut said a third wave of Covid has hit Nagpur, Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar on Tuesday said the third wave is no longer on the way to the city, but is already here.
Pednekar appealed to the public to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi at home and avoid large gatherings in view of the pandemic. “I am making an appeal of ‘Mera Ghar, Mera Bappa’, meaning I will not leave him (Ganpati) and go out anywhere. I have also decided not to go anywhere as the third wave is not coming, but has rather arrived. We have seen that in Nagpur, they have already declared it (third wave),” she said.
Dr Shashank Joshi, member of the state Covid task force, however, said there is no third wave in Mumbai or any part of Maharashtra at present. “What we are seeing is an extension of the second wave’s receding tail that becomes intermittently thick whenever testing is increased. The state’s total positivity rate has not crossed 5% nor has that of any district. Having said that, people must continue to wear masks,” he said, adding that even the districts of concern are showing a steady drop.
Raut, who is also the Nagpur guardian minister, had said after a review on Monday new curbs like shorter shop timings would be imposed in a day or two. Other ministers contradicted him on Tuesday and said no decision on new restrictions has been taken for anywhere in the state.
Health minister Rajesh Tope said: “There is no proposal under consideration by the health department or the CM at the moment to increase the restrictions, but we are keeping a close watch to study where the cases are increasing, by how much and the reasons. A final decision will be taken by the CM after taking stock of the situation.”
Relief and rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar said if restrictions are imposed, it would be for the entire state and not only in Nagpur. “As of now, there are no plans for enforcing tougher curbs…,” said Wadettiwar.
