Mumbai to lift all COVID-19 restrictions by February end

Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar on Tuesday said that the city will be completely unlocked by the end of February given the dip in Covid-19 cases.

Mumbai:Amid a significant dip in the Covid-19 cases in the economic capital, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said that the city will be completely unlocked by the end of February. Speaking to a group of journalists on Tuesday, she said that by next week, the authorities will accomplish 100 per cent vaccinations in the city. The mayor clarified that the central and state Governments urge people wear masks despite the unlock orders.

Reacting to PM Modi's allegations of Maharashtra being responsible for Covid-19 spread in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the Parliament on Monday, Pednekar said that the railways in the state are controlled by the central government, and all the decisions taken during the peak period of the pandemic were run through the PM Modi leadership too. "The migrant labourers in Maharashtra were in a much better condition and properly facilitated as compared to other states. CM Uddhav Thackeray took care of everyone. The migrant workers who needed to go home were sent back successfully. I can't comment about the Congress-BJP arguments. The CM did what he could do," she said.

Speaking about BJP MLA Ram Kadam's demand to build a memorial of Lata Mangeshkar at the historic Shivaji Park after her recent demise, Pednekar said, "Lata Didi's fame and contribution to the music industry is too big to be politicized. The BJP needs to stop doing their dirty politics over this. Maharashtra's culture teaches us to respect women. And Lata didi's fame is so significant, that her memorial should be made not just in Maharashtra, but in other parts of the world too," she said. She also recalled how former CM and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis had helped her reach Lata Mangeshkar's funeral in time.