Civic body to focus on 10 wards after Covid-19 curve flattens for Mumbai

NEW STRATEGY FROM MONDAY BMC plans to increase testing, deploy more personnel to visit containment zones

MUMBAI:WITH daily spike of Covid-19 cases across Mumbai plateauing, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has narrowed down its focus on 10 administrative wards, which have 46% of Mumbai’s infections. The civic body, which will implement the strategy from Monday, plans to increase testing and deploy more personnel to visit containment zones, among other measures, in these wards. The wards that have been selected basis their Covid-19 cases growth rate, doubling rate, positivity rate and fatality rate are R North (Dahisar), R South (Kandivli), R Central (Borivli), S (Bhandup), N (Ghatkopar), T (Mulund), G North (Dadar-mahim), M East (Govandi), P North (Malad) and L (Kurla).

“Starting Monday, these 10 wards will be our focus areas in order to increase both RT-PCR and rapid antigen tests in slums and residential buildings. Our teams will also cover housing colonies of frontline workers, municipal dispensaries and outpatient departments (OPDS) of hospitals in these wards. Our efforts are to treat every last Covid-19 patient in these areas. Equal focus will be given to containment zones and sealed buildings in all the wards,” said Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner.

The new BMC strategy comes after the civic body had implemented ‘Mission Zero’, a rapid action plan to bring down Covid-19 infections in Mumbai’s six wards. ‘Mission Zero’ was a 35-day action plan introduced on June 22 to increase surveillance in areas, specifically six administrative wards that had a high case growth rate and, bring down the number of daily infections reported in these areas. ‘Mission Zero’ was implemented in Mulund, Bhandup, Dahisar, Borivli, Kandivli and Malad.

“Mission Zero was impactful, but there is also a need to focus more on these 10 wards. We have considered several factors like growth rate of Covid-19 cases in these areas, fatality rate, doubling rate and positivity rate among several other parameters,” said Kakani, adding that a review meeting with all the ward officers is yet to happen. However, directions of the new plan has been issued to them.

A senior civic official, on condition of anonymity, said the number of fever clinics will also be increased in these wards.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Mumbai reported 1,254 Covid-19

31 STAFF INFECTED EARLIER