Daily cases in HW ward drop by 25%
BMC officials have attributed the decline to the new restrictions that have been enforced
H West (HW) ward, which covers the Bandra (West), Khar (West) and Santacruz (West), has seen a dip in its daily COVID-19 cases by 25 per cent. In the second week of April, from April 7 to April 13, the number of cases recorded in this ward daily stood between 400 and 570. However, the tally started to gradually decline in the following week. The ward recorded 400 plus cases on April 14 and April 15. From April 16 to April 21, the number of cases dropped to around 300 cases daily.
BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials have attributed the ongoing restrictions to the decline in the case figures. Vinayak Vispute, assistant municipal commissioner and in-charge of HW ward, said that citizens have stopped venturing out and are mostly abiding by the regulations. This has helped in containing the spread of the virus. "We have taken all the housing societies, trade associations and commercial establishments into confidence and have made them vigilant about the current situation," Vispute told the Free Press Journal. "All the residential buildings are following the rules and people are not venturing out without a valid reason. Also, our field officers are working throughout the day to ensure there are no violations," he added.
If people continue to cooperate like this, then the case tally will come down at a faster rate, said Vispute. "The ongoing restrictions have helped in bringing down the numbers. Most of the newly infected patients are asymptomatic and have been kept in home quarantine," said Asif Zakaria, a Congress corporator from this ward. Currently, more than 90 per cent of the cases in the ward are being reported from high rises. There are 37 sealed buildings and 554 sealed floors.
After cases started to rise in midMarch, many residential buildings and associations, such as the Pali Hill Residents’ Association (PHRA), framed their own rules to ensure that people maintain discipline within the premises.