More cases from buildings than slums

Currently, BMC has sealed 127 buildings entirely while 1,849 buildings have sealed floors

A week after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) released stringent norms of sealing an entire building with five or more COVID-19 cases, the BMC on Saturday presented a specialised data giving out the total number of sealed buildings and buildings which has only some of his floors sealed.

According to the BMC data, there are active 1,849 Sealed Floors (SF) in Mumbai along with 127 active Sealed Buildings (SB). The data also states that there are only 12 slum areas in entire Mumbai which have been marked as containment zones.

As per the latest norms, if five or more cases are reported from a building then the entire building will be sealed, however, if a building reports less than five cases only the floors from which cases have been reported will be sealed.

Civic officials stated, more than 90 percent of the newly infected patients hail from the residential buildings. Officials also pointed out, most of the buildings have less than five cases which is why the number of buildings with only sealed floors are more than entire sealed buildings.

"After unlocking, Mumbaikars have started attending social gatherings like weddings and parties where COVID appropriate-behaviour is not being followed which has given a rise in the number of cases," Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner and in-charge of public health in BMC told FPJ.

Kakani added, if Mumbaikars continue to flout norms then the civic body will have to seal more buildings eventually.

"The BMC is sealing only particular floors of a building if there are lesser cases and as the number suggest building with sealed floors is more than entire sealed buildings in Mumbai," Kakani stated.

"However if COVID protocols aren't followed then cases will eventually rise as a result of which the administration will have to seal entire buildings again to contain spread," he added.

The K West ward (Andheri West, Juhu and Ville Parle) and R Central ward (Borivli and parts of Kandivli) has the highest number of sealed floors in Mumbai. The KW has 374 buildings with sealed floors, while the RC has 290 buildings with sealed floors.

"When we are sealing a building we are also restricting the people from using lifts and common spaces throughout the sealed period," Bhagyashree Kapse - assistant municipal commissioner and in-charge of RC ward told FPJ.

"We have become aggressive in our approach and there is no other way to control the spread in these wards," she added.