Vashi resident who came in contact with Filipino scholar found positive

Kamothe man, who returned from Trinidad, tests positive

Kill them all: Fire brigade personnel spray disinfectants on a road at Vashi in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday.

A 57-year-old resident of Vashi, who had come in contact with the 68-year-old Islamic scholar from the Philippines at a mosque, tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on Wednesday. The Filipino had tested positive in the second week of March and died at Powai’s Hiranandani Hospital on Sunday.

The Vashi man, the secretary of the mosque, had been home-quarantined for the last one week. Two days ago, he developed symptoms and since then officials from the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) had been asking him to get the virus test done.

“He had not been budging despite our frequent follow-ups of getting the test done. Finally, we had to take the help of the police force and carry him to Kasturba Hospital. While he tested positive, his wife’s and son’s reports are awaited. Four cleaners of the mosque have also been asked to undergo the test,” NMMC Commissionr Annasaheb Misal said.

According to a source from the NMMC, the Vashi man had abused NMMC doctors and shooed them away when they first went to take him for a test. Later, he said that he would get the test done himself and then told the officials that the report was negative. After the NMMC verified with Kasturba, they learnt that he had not gone for any tests. Then the officials approached the police. Divya Gaikwad, corporator of Vashi, said, “As per the WHO guidelines, we will be sanitising a three-km radius of the area of the positive patient’s residence. We have informed all nearby residents about it and requested cooperation.”

Meanwhile, a 38-year-old resident of Kamothe tested positive at Kasturba on Wednesday. He had reached Mumbai airport from Trinidad via the U.S. on March 17.

“He reported to us on March 18. Since he had no symptoms he was home-quarantined. On Monday, he started showing symptoms following which he was asked for a test at Kasturba. His family members, a friend who accompanied him from the airport, and the Ola driver, tested negative. The ride of the Ola driver was fortunately the last one hence he has not come in contact with any other passengers. We are in the process of informing the flight authorities in which he had travelled,” Sanjay Shinde, deputy commissioner of Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC), said.

There are over 260 home-quarantined cases under the PCMC other than the three quarantined at Gram Vikas Bhawan, Kharghar.

“People who had insufficient space requested us to make provisions and got them quarantined at the bhawan,” Mr. Shinde said. Similarly, in the jurisdiction of the NMMC, 466 are home-quarantined and 81 institutional-quarantined at Sector 14, Vashi.