There were huge concerns being raised regarding combating COVID-19 in Mumbai, even since the first case registered in Dharavi. Dharavi is one of the most cramped space in Mumbai as this 240-hectare slum pocket houses 850,000 residents and the population density stands at 66,000 per square kilometre. Many experts including doctors are of the opinion that social distancing is virtually impossible in an area as densely populated as this.
However, BMC is not ready to give up as yet. On Saturday, BMC has started door-to-door testing in Dharavi and they will be testing all the 7.5 lakh residents in this area. A team of 150 doctors, from Maharashtra Medical Association, is helping Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) workers in the process. It is expected that this exercise will be completed in 15 days.
So far there have been 28 cases reported from Dharavi and four people have lost their lives. Earlier today, an 80-year-old patient from this area was declared dead today by Kasturba hospital. He was a resident of Dr. Baliga Nagar.
Another important thing to note 10 Markaz attendees stay in the locality in Dharavi before leaving for Kerala.
Ever since the first case was reported from the area, Dharavi was identified as a hotspot and several containment zones have been made in the same to control the spread. There are a total of 381 containment zones in Mumbai at the time of writing the story.
On April 5, as a part of its efforts, BMC also took over the entire 51-bed privately owned Sai Hospital in Dharavi. This hospital is being turned into an isolation cum-treatment centre. This is first of its kind initiative by BMC to take over an entire hospital with all its staff, doctors and technicians included. These people will be guided under the Epidemic Diseases Act and will help BMC in their fight to combat this spread of COVID-19
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