Mumbai: Covid cases, deaths drop but jumbo facilities to continue for now – Times of India

MUMBAI: Despite Covid-19 cases and fatalities dropping in Mumbai, BMC may not shut down most of the jumbo facilities or field hospitals immediately.
BMC had earlier announced that it would take a decision on closing down these makeshift facilities after December 31. But there are indications that it will continue with most of them until the winter is over.
“Mumbai is a thickly populated city and we had strategically put up the jumbo facilities in central, western and eastern parts of the city,” said additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani. These centres are running successfully and have contributed immensely to the city’s anti-Covid response, he added.
BMC’s New Year strategy will most likely be to continue with these jumbo facilities, but tweak the number of Covid-19 beds at its hospitals.
“We may scale down beds in our hospitals that have Covid wards so that non-Covid patients will also get care. But the jumbo centres will be there to attend to any surge,” said Kakani. BMC has not reduced its preparedness for any surge in Covid cases. “But a final decision has not yet been taken,” he added.
Experts such as Dr Shashank Joshi in the state Covid task-force have advised that Mumbai could witness another surge in cases between December 25 and January 26. Another task-force member, Dr Rahul Pandit, said the risk of a surge in cases is there till the end of winter. Most European cities have witnessed a second wave because of the severe winter.