Mumbai’s hotspot, Dharavi shows signs of flattening of COVID-19 curve as cases fall

PTI, Jun 8, 2020, 9:03 AM IST

Mumbai: In apparent signs of flattening of the coronavirus curve, Dharavi, believed to be Asia’s largest slum located in Mumbai and also a hotspot, has reported not a single COVID-19 death in the last six days while 939 of the total 1,899 patients have recovered, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials said on Sunday, June 7.

While 34 people tested positive for coronavirus on June 1, the number has now come down to 10.

“Dharavi has not reported a single death in the last six days, which is the first major indicator that we are on the right track. The number of people getting discharged is also increasing,” said Kiran Dighavkar, Assistant Municipal Commissioner of G northward of BMC.

He said that 939 of the total 1,899 cases have been recovered.

“Dharavi area has reported 71 deaths so far. But the real change is (reflected) in the daily testing of samples. A total of 34 people had tested positive for coronavirus on June 1 which has now come down to 10,” said Dighavkar.

This is at a time when Mumbai city has been reporting a rise in cases and deaths. As of June 6, Mumbai’s tally of COVID-19 cases stood at 47,354 cases and 1,577 deaths.

Meanwhile, Dighavkar attributed the lower number of cases to aggressive screening and testing of suspected cases in Dharavi with the activation of fever clinics.

“With the help of fever clinics, we could identify the people showing symptoms similar to that of coronavirus infection. We isolated them immediately which helped in either containing further transmission of the virus or spreading any kind of infection from those who are feeling unwell,” he said.

Dharavi in central Mumbai had reported the first coronavirus case on April 1, almost a week after the national lockdown came into force.

Since then, the area has become a focal point as it has been the home to many small-scale industries. Dharavi is also a major supplier of informal labor.

Other BMC officials said the largescale exodus of people during the lockdown could have also contributed to a lower number of cases.

“Dharavi offers jobs to hundreds of thousands of people. With continued extensions to the lockdown, a sizable number of people have left the slum for their homes. This helped us in ensuring physical distancing to some extent,” an official said.

He also thanked NGOs and corporate houses for providing food, medicines, and medical equipment.