Mumbai
Ignoring the rules of social distancing, a large crowd of supporters gathered to greet the leader of Congress, Chandrakant Handore, in Mumbai last night when he returned home after recovering from the coronavirus. Amid the drumming, some of the supporters even saw cookies explode.
The images from the night before show a large following who expect to see the former minister as he gets out of his car in front of his house. Many of them are seen capturing videos on their phones.
The crowd of supporters, fighting for space, applauds when the 57-year-old leader gets out of his car.
The highly contagious COVID-19 spreads rapidly in crowded spaces, and the center and states have made repeated calls to guarantee social distancing.
Another video shows some men, wearing masks, busting fire crackers.
The videos have emerged at a time when the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise in Mumbai, one of the most affected cities in the country with 38,442 cases.
In Maharashtra, which is the most affected state in the country, 2,940 new cases, most in a single day, were reported on Saturday, with a total of 65,168 cases.
Last night, Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the head of the Nationalist Congress Party, Sharad Pawar, met for more than 40 minutes to discuss details of the way forward for the state, the sources said.
The center has already announced that all services and locations outside of coronavirus containment zones, except a select list that includes flights and international gyms, may reopen after June 1.
The Chief Minister had previously said that while these relaxations will apply to large parts of the state, Mumbai is unlikely to see relief.
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