Mumbai Sees 5,185 COVID-19 Cases, Sharpest 24-Hour Spike, Maharashtra Reports 31,855 Cases, Highest Single Day Surge

Mumbai reported 5,185 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours, the city's biggest ever single-day spike. It is nearly 48 per cent increase from the preceding period, government data showed on March 24 evening. The financial capital of the country also reported six deaths linked to the virus in the same period. This is the first time that Mumbai has reported over 5,000 cases in a single day. With the steady spike, there are now nearly 30,000 active cases, alarm bells now ringing in Mumbai. The city has banned celebration of Holi, which falls on March 28 & 29, in public or private spaces. Authorities will also carry out random Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) of people in public spaces. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has warned of a lockdown if people continue to disobey rules. Maharashtra, the worst-affected state, is leading what is rapidly becoming India's second wave of Covid-19 cases. There are over 2.3 lakh active cases in the state and over 53,000 have died so far.