Hours Before New Year Eve Parties, Mumbai Police Clamp Tighter Curbs

MUMBAI:
Hours before the New Year Eve festivities, the Mumbai Police clamped further restrictions on people till January 15 to prevent further spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, here on Friday.

Effective 1300 hrs Friday (1 p.m.- December 31, Friday), Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) Chaitanya S. has banned people from going to any public places from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily.

These include beaches, open grounds, gardens, sea faces, promenades, parks, or any other such public venues and violators shall face stringent action under the relevant laws, warned the police.

For celebrations like weddings, the attendance has been limited to 50 invitees only whether being conducted in open spaces or closed venues.

Similarly, for any public gatherings or programmes, whether social, cultural, religious or political, at any open or closed venues, only 50 persons shall be permitted.

For funeral ceremonies, a maximum of only 20 mourners shall be allowed, and all other restrictions earlier announced shall also be enforced, said the DCP’s notification.

Earlier, the authorities had imposed prohibitory orders till January 7 with appeals to people to avoid any big and small New Year parties, which have now been enhanced to restrictions akin to the first wave and extended by another week till January 15.

The police order came a day after Mumbai Omicron cases shot up by 190 to touch a whopping 327, and the state reported its first Omicron-related death with the tally shooting to 450.

Similarly, the Covid-19 cases have also shot up phenomenally by more than 10 times in the last 10 days of December, sparking worries among the state health authorities.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Friday paid a visit to some mega-malls in the western suburbs to get an overview of how Covid-19 protocols are being adhered and appealed to citizens to follow the norms strictly as the infections are increasing rapidly in the country’s commercial capital.