Coronavirus outbreak: 8 lakh people in containment zones

Eight lakh people live in over 1600 areas declared as Containment Zones CZ due to a high number of COVID19 cases but those living in nearly 60 per cent of them are at higher risk of contracting the respiratory disease as these are congested areas The worst affected is the L ward comprising Kurla and Chembur with the most crammed CZsAS of Sunday the civic body has sealed 1606 areas declared as Containment Zones According to a BMC data 944 of them have mostly chawls and slums and with crammed houses and public toilets there is a high risk of transmission of the novel Coronavirus in these placesBMC says civic staffers visiting congested containment areas are also at risk File picThe Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations main challenge now is to keep minimum contact points in these areas With the constant spike in confirmed COVID19 cases the BMC has started sealing small areas consisting of around 80100 houses instead of locking down an entire slum pocketPublic toilets are the biggest risk It is cleaned as many times as possible to avoid the spread of infection Besides people try to sneak out of their rooms as their houses are small Also there are many small and complex internal pathways but we try to close all the gateways and separate the Containment Zones so the virus doesnt spread outside said an assistant commissioner from the Western Suburbs At 184 L ward comprising Kurla and Chembur has maximum number of CZs and nearly 85 per cent of them 157 are in congested areas The K West ward from Jogeshwari West to Vile Parle West also has a number of congested CZsOut of 173 CZs 117 are crammed Bandra to Santacruz East ie the H East ward has also been struggling with a high number of sealed slum pockets However citys densest ward Byculla East has least number of Containment Zones in slums and chawls Dharavi despite reporting a maximum number of COVID19 cases has fewer CZs because the sealed areas have a large number of housesWe planned and executed five levels of measures Highrisk contacts are shifted to institutional quarantine A common area like public toilets is cleaned two to three times a day A team of doctor checks everyone in the area There are fever clinics We focus on senior citizens by checking the oxygen level of their blood and acting appropriately said Suresh Kakani additional municipal commissionerBMC staff including doctors nurses health and sanitation workers visiting these areas are also at risk of contracting the virus As a precaution the BMC has suggested that they take hydroxychloroquine tablets under supervision to avoid side effects7795 highrisk contacts at Corona Care CentresAs of Sunday as many as 1778 COVID19 patients have been shifted from hospital to Corona Care Centre2 Many of them have been discharge from CCC2 as well and they are advised to remain under home quarantine But the figure is still not available said a senior officer form the BMC There are 7795 highrisk contacts in Corona Care Centres While the BMC also keeps asymptomatic people at the centres rather than in hospitals there isnt any data available on the number of these patientsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news