Coronavirus | Dharavi reports two more cases

MP asks Uddhav to lock down slum; around 78 people have been actually tested for the virus in Dharavi.

April 07, 2020 11:18 pm | Updated 11:18 pm IST - Mumbai

No breathing space:  Maintaining social distance in the wake of COVID-19 is a distant dream in Dharavi.

No breathing space: Maintaining social distance in the wake of COVID-19 is a distant dream in Dharavi.

As Dharavi reported two more positive cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, Shiv Sena MP from the area Rahul Shewale has demanded that Asia’s biggest slum be locked down. He has demanded that every resident of the slum, with a population of eight lakh, be tested and the Reserve Police Force be stationed here as people are not maintaining social distancing.

The two patients reported on Tuesday are the 80-year-old father and 49-year-old brother of a 30-year-old woman who had tested positive earlier. The three are residents of Baliga Nagar that had been declared a containment zone earlier. Her family members had already been declared high risk contacts and were under isolation. The father has now been moved to Kasturba hospital while her brother is at the COVID-19 facility in Andheri. With this, the number of positive cases in Dharavi have now increased to seven, including one death. Of the seven, four were in Baliga Nagar alone, one on Dharavi main road, one at Mukund Nagar and one in Madina Nagar.

COVID-19 | Interactive map of confirmed coronavirus cases in India|State-wise tracker for coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates |Helpline numbers

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has been holding health camps in these containment zones and so far, more than 3220 people have been screened for symptoms. Six are considered highly probable and have been quarantined already. In all, 78 people have been actually tested for the virus in Dharavi.

Mr. Shewale wrote to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, demanding a complete lockdown of Dharavi.“The number of cases in Dharavi is increasing every day. If this number goes on increasing, it could lead to large scale spread of COVID-19. I request to lock down Dharavi completely,” he said.

Download The Hindu’s multi-language e-book on essential COVID-19 information

He has demanded that BMC take over every hospital in Dharavi, use the Rajiv Gandhi sports complex as a quarantine facility, every resident of Dharavi be tested and adequate number of testing kits be made available for the same. Besides, since in some parts of Dharavi, people are not adhering to social distancing, State Reserve Police Force be stationed here. He has suggested ration distribution, setting up home kitchens and widespread disinfection as well.

Dadar reported a third case , a 69-year-old man living on Chitale Road in Dadar West. Prior to this, one case has been reported at Shivaji Park and another near Portuguese church. The person did not have foreign travel history. The patient has been admitted to Kasturba hospital and his five close contacts have been quarantined.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.