Amid the rising COVID-19 cases, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has formed ward-level committees to combat the pandemic in a much more effective and coordinated manner. Headed by the chairperson of the ward, the committee will comprise members including municipal corporators, health workers, sanitary inspector, medical officer, police personnel and ward official.
The MBMC has six designated wards. Orders promulgated by municipal commissioner Dr Vijay Rathod on Sunday, has added more teeth to strengthen the local management for effective monitoring and surveillance of COVID-19 cases apart from other crucial assignments.
In his order, the municipal commissioner has outlined a 20-point agenda to be followed by the committee which includes ensuring 1000-bedded quarantine facilities in each ward, sanitization of containment areas, monitoring those under home isolation, deputing nuisance prevention teams to penalize law-breakers, litterbugs for spitting, not wearing masks or defying physical distancing norms in public spaces, keeping an eye on overcharging by private hospitals, pathology labs, ensuring proper and time bound data entry at dedicated covid health centers (DCHC), COVID care centers (CCC) and dedicated covid hospitals (DCH), organizing fever camps, medical camps and antigen testing camps at the ward level to detect suspected COVID-19 cases and ensure early treatment, amongst others.
“The micro level arrangements will boost structural and functional units for Covid-19 management.” said an official.
The total number of Covid-19 patients has reached 7,437. Frequent incidences of violation of norms has already prompted the MBMC to invoke the disaster management act and the stringent epidemic diseases act in additions to the relevant sections of the IPC by chalking out stringent punishments and hefty monetary fines on litter mongers and those found to be roaming in public places without wearing face masks.