Bad penny Covid returns to M West

The move will boost tensions in the South China, East China and Yellow Seas

Initially one of the worst-affected wards in the city during the pandemic – the M west ward, home to Chembur, is once again on the BMC radar owing to the sudden rise in Covid-19 cases.

To contain the spread, the civic body has warned residents to either abide by the norms or be ready to face yet another lockdown. It has also issued new guidelines and imposed restrictions on residential societies, saying more cases are being reported from high-rises. Further, the ward officer has suggested the start of a vaccination drive for elderly residents in the area at the earliest.According to civic officials, M-west ward was reporting less than 15 cases a day, which has now increased to over 25 cases. Going by the corona dashboard, this ward has the lowest doubling rate of 245 days among the 24 wards in the city.Ward officials said they had learnt that Covid-19 norms were being rampantly flouted by most residents of the M west ward and this was leading to a rise in the number of cases. The daily growth rate had increased to 0.28 per cent, double the city’s average, which stands at 0.14 per cent.

Taking serious note, authorities have issued stringent guidelines to societies and have begun testing hawkers. “We have asked societies to restrict the entry of outsiders like maids and milk delivery persons, implement thermal screening and ensure testing of high-risk contacts. They should also inform about arrivals from corona-affected countries who have not undergone mandatory Covid testing,” said a ward official.A copy of the notice, available with The Free Press Journal shows civic authorities have started sealing buildings and societies with a higher prevalence of positive cases. “At present, M/W ward is reporting the highest number of daily cases which is a matter of concern and there are chances that we may have to impose local lockdown measures,” it states.

M/W ward Assistant Commissioner Prithviraj Chauhan said there were many factors leading to the current spike in cases in this ward. People have not been observing Covid norms and group infections have increased since last week. People are also attending weddings and family functions, a contributor to the surge. “Due to the negligence of residents in Chembur, cases have increased. Following this, we began home surveys and found that around 6-7 people from a single family are getting infected. If citizens fail to be responsible, then our higher authorities will most certainly take a call on imposing a ‘local lockdown’ in this area,” he hinted.Dr Bhupendra Patil, medical officer, health, said they had also started testing the hawkers and shopkeepers. “We are now focusing on those places thronged by people, such as ‘khau-gallis’ and vegetables sellers,” he said.

The Chinese government rammed through a new domestic law on 22 January 2021 giving the China Coast Guard (CCG) greater authority, a move that will boost tensions in the South China, East China and Yellow Seas.

The 25th Standing Committee session of the 13th National People's Congress had posted an online version of the Maritime Police Law of the People's Republic of China (PRC) on 4 November, and it was eventually promulgated on 1 February. The CCG had been complaining for years about inadequate legislation governing how it should use force. Some proponents for change thus argued for greater flexibility when responding to contingencies. Unfortunately, this law is highly problematic; one clause states it "will allow the coast guard to check foreign vessels, mooring and operating in China's jurisdictional seas." The difficulty arises in defining just what "jurisdictional seas" are. China illegally claims the vast majority of the South China Sea via its ambiguous Nine-Dash Line. However, such maritime claims have absolutely no international credence under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which China is a signatory. Indeed, Bill Hayton, an associate fellow with the AsiaPacific Program at Chatham House, pondered, "What does China mean by 'jurisdictional seas'? If it means UNCLOS definitions of territorial sea and exclusive economic zone - then that would be a major deescalation and a big step towards peaceful conflict resolution in the South China Sea." Yet Hayton continued: "If...'jurisdictional seas' means everything inside the Ushaped/9-Dashed Line, then China is setting itself on the opposite path - towards conflict. That could mean conflict with neighboring countries or with any passing navy." The academic concluded, "My guess is that Beijing will leave the definition unresolved, adding to the uncertainty. -