No move as of now to put curbs on suburban train travel: BMC official

 

Mumbai: There is no proposal at present to put any restrictions on suburban train travel in Mumbai, a senior civic official has said amid the metropolis recording a surge in new coronavirus cases.

Though the number of daily COVID-19 cases and positivity rate have been increasing in the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is working on preventive measures and is ready to handle any crisis, Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani told reporters on Monday.

He said at present there is no proposal to put any curbs on suburban train travel.

If needed, the Maharashtra government will take a decision on the issue in consultation with the state task force on COVID-19 as it pertains to the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Kakani said.

Currently, 90 per cent of the coronavirus patients here are asymptomatic and only four to five per cent patients are being admitted to hospitals, the official said, adding that the number of serious cases is negligible.

“Out of 30,500 hospital beds in Mumbai, only 3,500 beds are currently occupied. Also, adequate oxygen supply, medicines, ventilators, ICU facilities and hospital beds are available,” he said.

On Monday, Mumbai recorded 8,082 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily count since April 18, 2021, and two deaths. In the last one week, the metropolis has logged a 10-fold rise in fresh cases of the viral infection.