Mumbaikars fined Rs. 4-crore in a month for going maskless
What's the story
Mumbai Police has collected a fine of Rs. four crore in less than a month from two lakh people in the city who were found not wearing masks despite the surge in COVID-19 cases, an official said on Thursday.
The amount was collected from February 20, he said.
Here are more details.
Fine
50 percent of the fine collected will go to BMC
"Rs. four crore fine was collected from two lakh people at different locations across the city after they were found without a mask," Mumbai Police spokesperson DCP S Chaitanya said.
While 50 percent of the collected fine will go to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the remaining amount will be used for the police welfare activities, he mentioned, adding that the drive would continue.
Cases
Mumbai reported its highest single-day spike on Wednesday
Mumbai added 5,185 coronavirus cases to its tally on Wednesday, the highest-ever single-day spike since the outbreak. This includes all of last year and the mid-September peak.
In the 24-hour span, BMC sealed over 60 buildings across Mumbai, reports HT. On Tuesday, 363 buildings were sealed, and it jumped to 432 in merely one day.
The residents were urged not to drop their guards.
Information
Number of containment zones in slums and chawls didn't increase
Notably, the number of containment zones in slums and chawls didn't increase, suggesting that the spike in COVID-19 cases is restricted to apartments. Andheri West houses the most number of sealed buildings, the report added.
Testing
Random antigen tests are being conducted at crowded places
While restrictions have been announced for other districts in the worst-hit state Maharashtra, Mumbai doesn't have specific curbs. The civic body is conducting random antigen tests at crowded places like markets and shopping malls.
Last month, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had warned of another lockdown.
"Those who don't want a lockdown will wear a mask," he had said.