Coronavirus: Mumbai containment zones now cross 1,000 mark, with 50% in slum areas – Times of India

MUMBAI: Containment zones in the city crossed the 1,000 mark on Thursday. Civic officials said 50% are in congested slum pockets. But, the authorities are also releasing several zones whose 14-day quarantine period is over and no new Covid-19 case has been reported there.
Civic data showed that BMC marked 1,459 containment zones, of which 331 have been released. Of the 1,128, 50% are in slum areas or ‘red zones’, which need tight lockdown measures.

BMC started marking containment zones from the last week of March. Initially, there were 77, but the number kept rising as patients increased. A ward officer said, “Slums and congested localities are the tough part, as often even after marking them as containment zones, residents move around. Police have been told to ensure a tight lockdown.”
Goregaon corporator Deepak Thakur said a patient was found in his ward in Shankar Nagar slum, and ensuring a lockdown was not easy. “One cannot blame residents as they do not have toilets at home and are forced to step out. At such times, no one can stop them. With containment zones increasing, police cannot be stationed at a zone continuously however tight a lockdown is needed,” said Thakur.
Congress corporator Ravi Raja said a patient was traced in his ward, at the railway quarters at GTB Nagar. “We had to ensure the area was immediately marked out, as the person was in touch with many people. We cannot afford railway staff being further affected, as they are important,” said Raja.

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