COVID-19: Mumbai police to use drones, deploy 40,000 cops on New Year's eve

The Mumbai police are going to use drones and deploy more than 40,000 police personnel on the New Year's eve in the city. The police are taking this action ahead of the New Year's celebrations to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Mumbai police have already been reaching out to the city dwellers to take the necessary precautions and maintain social distancing in order to avoid COVID-19 outbreaks in the city.

The police are particularly active on Twitter and sending regular tweets to remind the residents of their collective responsibility, as they get ready to celebrate the arrival of the new year. 

"Play it "pretty safe" and leave the party before 11 #SafetyDeadline#TheCurfewOfSafety#TakingOnCorona," said a tweet by the Mumbai police on December 28.

In continuation of the same measures, it is reported that the police in the city will use eight drones and take the help of 40,000 policemen to check for the protocols to control the spread of coronavirus being followed by the partygoers on the new year's eve.

The state of Maharashtra previously ordered night curfews in its capital city, given the fears of the COVID-19 variant, which is reportedly more infectious.

All the areas in the city that fall under its municipal corporation limits are going to stay under curfew till January 5, 2021, from 11 pm in the night to 6 am in the morning.

The Maharashtra government, in a circular, addressed the people of the state and appealed to them to welcome the new year in a simple way in their homes. The government urged people not to visit gardens, seashores, and roads even when there is not going to be a day curfew on December 31.

"No cultural or religious events should be organised during this period, and people visiting places of worship on the first day of 2021 must take care to avoid crowding," said the government circular.

On December 22, the Mumbai police conducted a raid at an Andheri nightclub for flouting the norms necessary for preventing COVID-19. The police took action against 34 people, including cricketer Suresh Raina.

Maharashtra has been the worst-hit state because of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. It has a total tally of more than 19,22,000 cases with more than 49,000 deaths recorded in the state.