Mumbai authorities are worried about the possible spread of the latest coronavirus in Dharavi’s densely populated slum. It happened after a man with COVID-19 died and a doctor and municipal corporation worker tested positive.
The first case was the 56-year-old man who died on Wednesday night. An estimated 700,000 to 1 million people live in Dharavi-a labyrinth of narrow streets, ramshackle houses, shanties and open sewers of around five square kilometres.
Residents Quarantined
Seven other occupants of his house were quarantined at home and are undergoing research. The official said, “We’ll provide them with food and water before the results of their tests return.”
Public health experts say it would be hard to contain the virus if it spread in a slum like Dharavi where eight to ten people frequently share a room with each other.
According to Aljazeera, the population density is around 270,000 per square kilometer. It makes nearly difficult to separate socially. Then, tens of people share water supplies and sanitation facilities.
Despite a countrywide lockdown since March 25, the Dharavi cases have raised concern that India may experience group transmission of the disease.
In addition, Thursday saw a leap of over 300 cases, now at 1.965 with the highest confirmed cases. The data from the Ministry of Health showed that fifty people died and 151 have been cured and discharged.
Light Candles for Indians
In a video conference with chief ministers of states on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that this was “just the start of the fight against coronavirus.”
Modi told the chief ministers that “research, isolation and quarantining” would remain priorities in the next few weeks. To emphasize this point, an immediate need to increase health care facilities capability by including all retirements.
Health professionals faced extreme shortages of protective equipment. They need boots, masks and coveralls called personal protective equipment (PPE) – a question raised by the meeting’s chief ministers.
India entered a 21-day national lockdown from March 25. 1.3 billion people should stay at home in an attempt to test the virus spread.
On Friday, Prime Minister Modi urged Indians to turn off Sunday night lights in their homes and light candles. In addition, lamps and even use mobile torches standing on their balconies for nine minutes.
Modi said in a video message that the gesture would remove the darkness created by the coronavirus. It prove that people were together battling the pandemic.