The Battle of Mumbai
On July 5, Covid-positive cases in Maharashtra crossed the 200,000 mark. The numbers had doubled in one month since the state began opening up on June 3, a few days ahead of the Union government’s announcement to Unlock on June 8. Almost 60 per cent of the cases and 72 per cent of the 9,250 deaths in the state till July 7 were reported from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), which makes up 25 per cent of the state’s 120 million population. This region has seen an almost 300 per cent rise in cases.
With nine municipal corporations—Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayandar, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Vasai-Virar and Panvel—and nine
