Restrictions in Mumbai would continue to remain in force till June 27, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Monday. The civic body’s order comes despite the city being eligible to be shifted to level 1 category with a lower positivity rate and oxygen bed occupancy.
The State government had earlier this month announced a five-phase plan to ease curbs every week. The levels were fixed on the basis of COVID-19 positivity rate and occupancy of oxygen beds in respective districts or municipal corporation limits with level 1 being the lowest and 5 being the red zone. Those with a positivity rate of 5% or less and oxygen bed occupancy of 25% or less will be in level 1.
Level 3, where Mumbai currently stands, has a positivity rate between 5% and 10% and oxygen bed occupancy of more than 40%.
The BMC in its order said that the positivity rate in Mumbai had come down to 3.79% and oxygen bed occupancy was 23.56%. It further said that even though areas under the municipal corporation stood in level 1, certain points needed to be looked into like population density and geography of the city, local trains coming to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region with passengers, and the threat of a possible third wave suggested by the task force and medical experts.
As a result, the BMC has not lifted any restrictions which are already in place within its jurisdiction. The State government has already made it clear that district administrations and municipal corporations will act as independent units and they can take decisions based on the five-level criteria.
