Mumbai sees 1511 new COVID-19 cases as section 144 kicks in the city till July 15

As section 144 kicks in Mumbai till July 15, India's financial capital saw a surge in Coronavirus (COVID-19) with 1511 new cases and 6 new deaths. BMC also added 69 deaths to the tally from the previous period. The city now has 78,708 cases and 4629 deaths.

Coronavirus Live Updates: Section 144 imposed in Mumbai; India's total tally at 5,85,493

Mumbai: 1511 new COVID-19 cases

Currently, the city's recovery rate stands at 57% with 44,791 patients discharged. This week Mumbai has seen a growth of 1.68% in positive cases with 3,33,752 samples tested till date. As per BMC's war room report, the city's number of vacant beds has increased as home isolation increases - 54 of 804 ventilator beds are vacant, while 174 of 1431 ICU beds are vacant.

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Mumbai: Railways to run 298 more local trains for govt staff from July 1

Mumbai police impose section 144

Earlier in the day, Mumbai's Deputy Commission Pranaya Ashok has imposed section 144 across the city from July 1 till July 15. Until then presence or movement of one or more persons in public places or gathering of any sort anywhere including religious places has been banned with respect to certain exceptions. These including essential services, activities allowed under 'Mission Begin Again' order issued on 29 June - but only within the 2 km of their residence.

The city's iconic  Ganpati pandal - Lalbaugcha Raja has decided to forego installing Ganpati idol during Ganeshotsav to avoid crowding during pandemic. Moreover, the organisers have said that they will conduct blood and plasma donation drives for the 10 days of Ganeshotsav. As the city begins to open up, its lifeline - the local trains will also run in higher numbers, as announced by Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. 298 more trains will run from July 1 to transport hose employed in essential services, as identified by the state administration, and Central government staff - this include employees of Centre, Income Tax, GST and Customs, Postal service, Nationalised Banks, Mumbai Port Trust, Judiciary, Defence and Raj Bhavan.

Mumbai's iconic Lalbaugcha Raja to eschew Ganpati idol; announces blood & plasma donation

Mumbai's COVID crisis

With Maharashtra extending its lockdown,the BMC has increased its containment zones to 755, while over 6174 buildings and chawls have been sealed and being self-managed by the society. While slums were initially where most cases were found, BMC claims that most cases were now found in housing societies. Recent BMC report shows Mulund as the most affected place with the doubling rate at 18 days, while Dharavi is the least affected ward with a doubling rate at 132 days. Overall, Mumbai's doubling rate at 42 days is higher than the national average of 17.4 days, while its positivity is at 23.58%