India / No second coronavirus wave in Mumbai: BMC commissioner Chahal

Zoom News : Sep 25, 2020, 12:18 PM
MUMBAI : There is "no second wave" of COVID-19 in Mumbai and the infections are rising due to increased testing, Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said on Thursday.

He also said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was in discussion with gyms and restaurant owners, and looking to allow them to reopen with one-third patrons.

The city reported 2,163 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday with 54 fresh fatalities.

"I would like to reassure that there is absolutely no second wave at all," Chahal asserted at an event organized by industry lobby CII.

While speaking at an event organised by industry lobby CII, Iqbal Singh Chahal said: "I would like to reassure that there is absolutely no second wave at all. We have to understand that we have increased the number of testing in September. Mumbai is now witnessing over 15,000 tests a day against the earlier 7,000."

The civic body took a conscious call of more than doubling the testing and go for a "stimulated spike" from September 1 because it is confident that its health infrastructure can take care of new patients, Chahal said. Earlier, there used to be 1,100 positive patients among 7,000 tests carried out per day, which has now gone up to around 2,000 positive patients with the testing more than doubling, he said.

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