Mumbai’s Dharavi slum cluster reports 4th death
MUMBAI:India’s financial capital continued to reel under the burden of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) with 138 new cases and 12 deaths reported on Saturday and the state government saying it will focus on urban areas to contain the rapid spread of the infection.
The cramped slum cluster of Dharavi saw its fourth death on a day the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) started screening around 700,000 residents of the area – an exercise that is expected to take around two weeks to complete. The number of cases in Mumbai stands at 1,146 and the death toll at 76.
Late in the evening, six employees of the Taj Group of Hotels tested positive. Gautam Bhansali, consultant physician, Bombay Hospital and Daksha
› The number of (Covid19) patients is rising rapidly, although most of them are in Mumbai. The authorities have started working proactively to trace and test suspected people... UDDHAV THACKERAY, Maha CM
Shah, deputy executive health officer of BMC confirmed the news. “Approximately 500 of our employees who are at work in our Mumbai hotels have been tested to date. Those who have tested positive mostly were asymptomatic showing absolutely no signs of illness. However, staff testing positive and symptomatic were duly hospitalized and others who were in contact with them have immediately been put in quarantine... Taj Mahal Palace and Tower does not have any guests at the current time and only very minimal staff in areas like housekeeping, security, maintenance and staff dining are present,” the Indian Hotel Company Limited said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, health minister Rajesh Tope indicated that if the country were divided into three zones, Mumbai would fall in the red zone, which is earmarked for the regions with the maximum cases and deaths. “Our thrust is to neutralise the less-affected districts in the next few days and contain the virus spread in the cities in next eight days. We have intensified our strategy in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and Pune,” said a senior state government official.
The state, which is the worst hit in India, reported 187 cases and 17 deaths on Saturday. A total of 208 patients have been discharged across the state till date after full recovery. In Maharashtra, 38,800 people are in home quarantine and 4,964 people are in institutional quarantine. The state has eight districts (Nandurbar, Solapur, Parbhani, Nanded, Wardha, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli) with no positive cases and Tope indicated these areas may see a relaxation of restrictions in the second phase of lockdown.
“The number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients is rising rapidly, although most of them are in Mumbai. The authorities have started working proactively to trace and test suspected people, so as to avoid multiplication of virus cases. I am confident that the chain of the spread of the infection will be broken soon,” chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said.