Large gatherings cancelled in Mumbai as Covid cases surge once more in India

dpa New Delhi New Year’s parties have been cancelled and gathering of more than four people in public places prohibited in India’s financial hub Mumbai as ...

dpaNew DelhiNew Year’s parties have been cancelled and gathering of more than four people in public places prohibited in India’s financial hub Mumbai as the number of cases of the Covid-19 Omicron variant rises rapidly, officials said on Thursday.“New Year’s celebrations, parties in any closed or open space including restaurants, hotels, bars, pubs, resorts and clubs from December 30 to January 7 have been prohibited,” a spokesman for the city’s civic corporation said.Gatherings of four or more people have been banned until January 7, under Section 144 of the Indian penal code.No rules had been specified for house parties, but the corporation has appealed to citizens to be cautious and responsible.The number of daily new cases in the city has risen from 1,769 on December 14 to 5,803 on Wednesday.A meeting of top officials was held on Wednesday to review the situation and plan for the vaccination of children aged between 15 and 18 in early January, Maharashtra cabinet minister Aditya Thackeray said in a Twitter post. Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra state. Restrictions have also been put in place on movements and gatherings at night in Delhi and several other states including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat.A total of 13,154 new Covid-19 cases and 268 deaths were reported Wednesday, according to Health Ministry data. Experts say that with low levels of genome sequencing the full extent of the spread of the new Omicron variant is not known in India.“As the cases rise rapidly, we urge everyone to not panic. However we all must exercise extreme caution and ensure that we are vaccinated, masked up,” Thackeray said.