Period till Mid-December crucial : BMC

Post-Diwali the daily number of COVID-19 cases are increasing in Mumbai. To keep the spread in check, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started testing food delivery agents, salon staffers, and security guards wards wise. The increased testing and decreased positivity are definitely good signs but the city is not out of the woods yet. 

According to the BMC officials, while these are all good signs and it seems that the spread is now finally manageable, they feel that the time till mid-December can be crucial. One of the reasons for the same is that now is the time for a season change. Furthermore, they want to gauge if the numbers have indeed established post-Diwali and rule out any possibility of a second wave. 

The civic body is taking various measures to keep the numbers in check. One of the measures that are being stressed upon is the increase in testing. As a result of this, BMC has increased the testing in all the 244 testing centres. Apart from this, surveillance at railway stations has also increased.

The daily number of COVID-19 cases is has risen to 1,000 from the range of 500 earlier this month before Diwali. According to BMC data, 3.68 lakh tests were conducted between October 1 and October 28, as compared to 3.48 lakh tests in the same period during November. In the same period, the case positivity rate came down from 12 per cent to 6 per cent.

Furthermore, the fatality rate has come down from October 1 to October 28 with 1,224 deaths, to 529 deaths during November. According to the reports, the testing had gone down in November in the city owing to Diwali and festive mood. However, testing has been increased post-Diwali, BMC is taking all the possible efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus in the city.

Meanwhile, Mumbai reported 724 new COVID-19 cases, 1,280 recoveries and nine deaths on Tuesday (December 1), taking the total number of cases in the financial capital to 2,84,184. According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) data, there are 12,440 active cases and 2,57,915 patients have completely recovered so far. The death toll is at 10,819 in the city. The recovery rate stands at 91 per cent. At present 19,07,961 tests have been conducted by the BMC. There are 434 contaminated zones in slums and chawls while 5,212 buildings are sealed by the BMC.