40 cases in 10 days: BMC seals Tardeo housing complex

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday sealed Navjivan Society, a residential complex of 17 buildings in Tardeo after 40 Covid-19 positive cases

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday sealed Navjivan Society, a residential complex of 17 buildings in Tardeo after 40 Covid-19 positive cases were detected there in the last 10 days. Since April, a total of 55 cases were recorded in the society.

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The civic body said it has sealed the complex and quarantined the residents of all 730 flats for the next 10 days.

According to BMC officials, initially, 15 positive cases were reported at the housing complex since April – mostly of individuals involved in essential services. However, in the last 10 days, 40 additional cases were reported, following which the buildings were sealed.

“Cases were being reported from Navjivan Society daily for the past 10 days, and in the last two days alone, we recorded around 10 cases. At present, there are 40 active cases in the society, and this is alarming. Hence, we decided to seal the entire complex of 17 buildings. We are also setting up a camp in the complex to detect more cases,” said Prashant Gaikwad, assistant commissioner of BMC’s D ward, under which Tardeo falls.

“There are commercial establishments too that are part of the complex, but their entry and exit are separate. They will be allowed to function normally, but residents will not be allowed to enter or exit the society. However, those involved in essential services can go out. We want to break the chain and bring the situation under control,” Gaikwad added.

BMC has started sealing entire buildings instead of just the floor on which a Covid case is detected. This is being done to curb the spread of infection in high-rises.

On July 24, HT had reported that BMC was deciding the implement the same rule for housing societies in Dahisar, Borivli, Kandivli, and Malad.

In D ward, which covers Tardeo, Malabar Hill, and Grant Road, around 297 residential societies have been sealed. Across the city, 13,203 buildings have been released so far and 6,037 are still sealed.

Tardeo corporator Rajendra Narvankar suggested that residents of Navjivan Society are not maintaining social distance. “The residents have complained against the sealing of the building, citing a loss of livelihood, but this is for their own safety. I have asked BMC to check the travel history of the residents, to ascertain the chain of infection. A few residents had gone to their hometowns during the lockdown, and are now returning. We suspect they are spreading the virus among other residents. Also, 40 cases have been reported in the last 10 days, which means the residents are in close physical contact. They need to maintain social distance,” he said.