Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Mumbai prepares to welcome 26,000 Gulf returnees

With 10 positive cases of the novel coronavirus being detected in Mumbai, the state government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) are taking all the necessary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 virus. Amid the partial lockdown in the city, the municipal corporation is preparing quarantine facilities and isolation wards ahead of the arrival of 26,000 people from Gulf countries.

Reportedly, BMC will launch quarantine facilities in some hotels near the Mumbai airport. As per an official, the civic body has decided to open isolation wards in at least 10 city hospitals. That being said, another 15,000 people are expected from the US by the end of March. Both the Gulf and the US have been affected by the outbreak.

As a preventive measure, the government has ordered a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine even for people who are entering India from Gulf countries, namely the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, even if they have no symptoms. 

But there is no such regulation for those arriving from the US, where the virus has infected 9,300 people and resulted in 150 deaths.

As BMC welcomes 26,000 returnees, it is worth noting that Maharashtra has been the most affected state in the country with 49 cases reported by Thursday noon. Earlier this week, Mumbai recorded the state's first and the country's third fatality.

However, the officials have assured that they would not take any chances since 15 people in the state with a travel history to Dubai have already tested positive.

The Maharashtra government has created a 3-layer surveillance strategy. This consists of the determination of three groups and the level of probability they will catch the disease:

• A category: This consists of those who have been screened at airports and have been showing symptoms. Individuals in Category A have been straight away taken to the Kasturba Hospital for quarantine.
• B category: This classifies people who are likely to get infected or prone to get infected. The people in Category B will be kept in isolation facilities and are being monitored. Their samples will be taken and they will be discharged on doctors' orders.
• C category: This consists of individuals who haven't shown any symptoms and so, have been asked to go home to follow self-isolation. However, the authorities will keep them under surveillance. Currently, around 1,000 such people are under surveillance in Mumbai.