Taking view of the mounting Omicron COVID-19 variant cases in Maharashtra, Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) has been imposed in Mumbai on Saturday, 11 December, and Sunday, 12 December, in order to prevent large gatherings.
An order issued by the Office of the Police Commissioner of Greater Mumbai states that all rallies, morchas, and processions, involving persons and vehicles, are prohibited in the city on the aforementioned days.
"Greater Mumbai continues to be threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic and it is imperative to continue emergency measures to prevent danger to human life, health or safety, and to prevent any threat to the law and order situation," the order reads.
Seven fresh cases of the newly-identified Omicron COVID-19 variant were reported in Maharashtra on Friday, taking the tally of Omicron cases in the city to 17.
A three-year-old child is among the seven persons who have been infected by the coronavirus variant.
While three of the cases have been detected in Mumbai, the remaining four have been reported from the Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporation.
Out of seven patients, four have been vaccinated against COVID-19, as per the state's health department. One patient has received a single dose of the vaccine, while one patient has not been vaccinated. One of the patients, who is three-and-a-half years old, is not eligible for vaccination.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)