In a new development, a seventh ward under the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) has crossed 1,000 coronavirus positive cases. The H-East ward, which also comprises of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s residence, has reported a total of 1,138 positive cases as of May 17. The ward also covers areas like Bandra-Kurla Complex, Kalanagar, Nirmal Nagar, Vakola, as well as Behrampada which is located on the eastern side of Bandra-Khar-Santa Cruz.
The surge in cases has been alarming as the region reported 550 cases as of May 9. This indicates that the ward added 588 cases in under 10 days. As for the Chief Minister’s residence, Matoshree, the area is said to have relatively fewer cases. Residents and elected representatives from the region have mentioned that cases are more pronounced in slum pockets where social distancing is almost impossible. This has been the case in other slum colonies of the city as well.
Arun Naik, Chairman, Kalanagar Cooperative Housing Society said - “Coronavirus cases are widespread in slums like Shastri Nagar and Bharat Nagar in our ward. These areas are not only congested, but also have narrow lanes and open drains, increasing the risk of contact with the virus.”
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Corporator from Vakola, Tulip Miranda, raised concerns over the tracing of contacts by the officials. “Many of those affected are persons working in essential services or even civic staff out on field duty. But the BMC is not tracing their contacts so that isolation can be done in time to contain viral spread.”
However, the BMC has said that it is maintaining the pace of testing and is trying its best to trace contacts and isolate them in a timely manner. The city’s civic health infrastructure is under strain right now with COVID-19 cases increasing each day. With more cases expected to be reported over the coming days, the BMC has asked private hospitals to prepare 2,900 beds for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients.
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