The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) on Thursday had a sudden change of mind about the reopening of malls, which were asked to shut down again just a day after resuming business. The civic body fears that COVID-19 cases would rise if people are allowed to assemble at enclosed spaces so soon.

With strict measures and new guidelines for the customers, malls reopened on Wednesday as part of the state government's latest phase of 'Mission Begin Again'. The NMMC had, on July 31, issued an order allowing malls to operate some stores and restaurants for take-away from 9 am to 7 pm.