Mumbai police put up in hotels as cases of COVID-19 rises

The city of Mumbai has witnessed an increase in the coronavirus cases in the police force which has made the police personnel stay at hotels or guest houses.

For the last couple of weeks, many policemen from south Bombay and the western suburbs have been staying put in hotels after their duties. As of Monday, over 1,007 policemen have been tested positive in Maharashtra, out of which 420 are from Mumbai. This shows the life risk the policemen carry while they go about in their jobs. Across the state, 113 have recovered, out of which 66 are from Mumbai. Seven policemen so far have succumbed to the infection in the state, out of which four are from Mumbai.

Manoj Sharma, an additional commissioner, speaking to the media has stated that the police has tied up with 22 hotels in the West region, from Jogeshwari to Bandra. This benefits them in many ways as they do not have to worry about chores like sanitizing the rooms and bathrooms. By asking policemen to stay in hotels, the force intends to keep them safe, also protecting their family members from catching the virus.

The 'Vande Bharat' mission

Similarly, in India's biggest repatriation exercise 'Vande Bharat' Mission kick-started on Thursday. As a consequence, the BMC has arranged around 3,343 rooms in 88 hotels to quarantine evacuees. According to a statement by the BMC, the 88 hotels include all categories- 2-star, 3-star, 4-star, 5-star, apart from apartment hotels and OYOs.

Reportedly, out of the total 64 evacuation flights under the Mission, seven flights will be landing in Mumbai carrying around 1,900 passengers. The passengers will come from Bangladesh, Philippines, Singapore, Britain, Malaysia, and the United States. Priority will be given to compelling cases which would include migrant workers/labourers who have been laid off, short term visa holders faced with the expiry of visa, individuals with medical emergencies/ pregnant women/elderly, those required to return to India due to death of family member and students. The cost of travel, as specified by the MoCA and DMA will be borne by these travellers.