Over 100% spike in cases in a month, Mumbai civic body to roll out stricter measures – The Indian Express

Till April 23, R-Central and R-North were among four wards that were consistently reporting the lowest number cases — R Central had recorded only 44 cases and R-North 27. (Representational)

The northern suburbs of Mumbai, including Dahisar, Borivali and Kandivali, which saw fewer novel coronavirus cases initially, has witnessed a substantial rise in the numbers in June.

R-North ward, which covers Dahisar and parts of Borivali West, has seen the sharpest spike in cases in June, civic officials said. Till June 2, when the lockdown was partially relaxed in the city, the administrative ward had only reported 486 cases. Twenty days later the number of cases rose by 193 per cent to 1,425 cases, data provided by the civic body said.

The scenario is similar in the neighbouring wards covering Borivali and Kandivali areas. Between June 2 and 22, Borivali and Gorai in the R-Central ward registered an increase of 123 per cent in Covid-19 cases, followed by the R-South ward covering Kandivali and Charkop, which saw a 100 per cent increase in cases.

Officials claimed the failure of the local residents to follow social-distancing norms and other lockdown rules have led to the spike in the case in the areas. Contrary to the popular perception that the infection was spreading only in slum pockets, BMC officials said, in the suburbs, gated societies had witnessed a significant rise in cases. In R-Central ward, BMC claims that 70 per cent cases are from high-rises.

A Rapid Action Plan, rolled out in the suburbs to control the spread of infection, now concentrates on extensive screening and early detection of cases. Deputy Municipal Commissioner (zone 7), Vishwas Shankarwar, said, “Other than containment zones, we are now getting cases from scattered building complexes as well. Many of the recent cases are of patients who had stepped out to consult doctors for other ailments or are in the pre-operative stage and were tested for Covid-19.”

Administrative wards in the northern suburbs are also among the ones with the worst doubling rate of less than 20 days. As of Sunday, R-Central ward has the worst doubling rate of 19 days, as opposed to the city average of 38 days. R-North has recorded a doubling rate of 20 days, officials said.

Till April 23, R-Central and R-North were among four wards that were consistently reporting the lowest number cases — R Central had recorded only 44 cases and R-North 27.

“The cases of citizens defying social-distancing norms are high here. After lockdown rules were relaxed and shops allowed to open, more people were seen stepping out and without masks. There is a need for strict compliance of containment measures. To control the spread of infection, we are now considering to seal an entire building, instead of sealing just a floor, if the number of cases from a single building is above four,” said Sheetal Mhatre, Shiv Sena corporator from Dahisar.

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