Mumbai claims victory in battle against COVID, shuts care centres

The slum and its surrounding areas have reported 2,189 cases

 

Mumbai(Agencies):The Maharashtra government has begun to close some Covid-19 care centres in Mumbai after the number of people testing positive for the virus has begun to decline in parts of the city like Dharavi, according to officials here.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Wednesday said that it was shutting two Covid-19 care centres in Dharavi—Asia's largest slum—after a fewer number of residents tested positive for the virus.

"The average number of cases fell to 20 per day in June and only five cases were reported on Tuesday," Kiran Dighavkar, Assistant Municipal Commissioner of G-North Ward, under which Dharavi falls, said.

The slum and its surrounding areas have reported 2,189 cases so far including 81 fatalities.

One of the COVID care centres which were shut was a 700-bed facility at the Dharavi Municipal School which catered to suspected Covid-19 cases and close contacts of those who tested positive.

The other facility at the Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex nearby catered to mildly symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, according to civic officials.

Dighavkar said there were enough care centres for those who test positive for the virus.

Civic officials say they will start sanitizing the Dharavi Municipal School so that classes can resume in a few months' time.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation the number of Covid-19 cases reported in the country's financial capital continue to be steady at around 1000 per day for the past several days. On Tuesday 824 new cases were reported.

Civic officials said, newer cases of people testing positive for the virus is being reported from Mumbai's middle-class northern suburbs as more people start returning to work.

Earlier this week, the civic body deployed 50 ambulances with doctors and laboratory technicians to go around the suburbs and conduct fever camps to trace those suspected of having contracted the virus.

The authorities have also announced that people will be able to avail of the anti-body tests on demand without a doctor's prescription.

Sources said that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has asked senior bureaucrats for suggestions on re-starting Mumbai's transport sector while maintaining social distancing.