There has been a rapid increase in the coronavirus or COVID-19 cases in areas like Mazgaon, Agripada, Nagpada and Madanpura. According to the data released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the number of COVID-19 cases in the E ward has increased to 120, as of April 12.
The BMC sources have informed that the E ward has seen a hike in the COVID-19 cases due to ‘clumsy’ contact-tracing and certain lapses in executing measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus. As per BMC’s data, the number of cases in the areas of E ward was 69 till April 9. However, the number rose to 120 in just four days.
Assistant Municipal Commissioner (AMC) of E ward, Alka Sasne, was also transferred earlier after the hike in coronavirus or COVID-19 cases were reported. After the G (South) ward, E ward is now the second worst-hit zone in Mumbai. A senior BMC officer told the Free Press Journal that the alleged mishandling of COVID-19 cases in the ward led to the transfer of Alka Sasne.
In Shirinbai Chawl at Morland Road, a 63-year-old man was tested positive for COVID-19 on April 4. However, none of his family members was identified as high-risk contacts and was not placed in a quarantine facility for nearly two days. As this happened, eight others from his family of 10 people were tested positive for the coronavirus including his son who is suspected to have spread the virus.
Meanwhile, in a slum pocket situated at Shaikh Hafizuddin Marg in Madanpura, a man who was admitted at St. George hospital in Fort area died of the coronavirus infection on April 4.
Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Rais Shaikh, who is also the BMC corporator from Madanpura, alleged that the death was never recorded by the civic body. The E-ward officials failed to acknowledge that the man has died due to COVID-19.
“…therefore, the officials did not identify high-risk contacts. They later recorded it as suspected coronavirus death. After principal secretary (health) verified, the official then mentioned it as a confirmed coronavirus death on April 6,” Rais Shaikh informed.
In another case, a resident of Prabhat building in Agripada was tested positive for the coronavirus. However, it took officials almost a week to identify that the man’s wife was a high-risk contact.
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