Covid-19: Maharashtra infections rise past 1,300; 140 new hot spots in Mumbai

Covid-19 update: For seven straight days, more than 100 new daily cases have been reported in Maharashtra, which is the worst affected state in India. Authorities also reported 25 deaths on Thursday – the highest so far – taking the toll to 97 in the state.

The number of Covid-19 infections rose sharply in Maharashtra on Thursday and shot past 1,300 on a day the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) notified 140 new containment zones in Mumbai, the state’s biggest hot spot, in an attempt to arrest the spread of the contagion.

A view of Dharavi, one of Asia's largest slums, during a 21-day nationwide lockdown to slow the spreading of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Mumbai, India, April 9, 2020. (REUTERS)

For seven straight days, more than 100 new daily cases have been reported in Maharashtra, which is the worst affected state in India. Authorities also reported 25 deaths on Thursday – the highest so far – taking the toll to 97 in the state.

Mumbai now has 876 cases and 54 deaths.

But state health officials indicated that the administration was confident of containing the infection.. “Going by the trend in other countries, the rise in cases was expected. It is likely to increase for a few more days and then the graph will slowly come down,” said a senior health official, wishing not to be named.

In Asia’s largest slum cluster of Dharavi that has reported 17 cases and three deaths, the BMC announced it will test the entire estimated 800,000 population of the area. The government will soon deploy State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) contingents to enforce total lockdown in Dharavi and other slums, health minister Rajesh Tope said on Thursday.

“While the Mumbai Police is already doing a good job, there is a need to further tighten the lockdown in Dharavi and other congested localities (slums) to arrest the spread of coronavirus,” he added.

The civic body said it had identified 200 red zones that would have curfew-like restrictions for the next 14 days. “In these red zones, there will be no movement in or out, enforced with police help and ward assistance to prevent further spread to other areas,”said municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi.

School education minister and Dharavi MLA Varsha Gaikwad said, “Barring medical shops, everything else would be shut in the hotspots we have identified in Mumbai. It would not be possible to contain the spread in areas like Dharavi without imposing stricter restrictions as next eight days are crucial.”

Tope said the authorities had decided to conduct rapid tests on frontline staff including health workers, police personnel and sanitisation workers. He said the tests will begin once 100,000 kits arrive.