As the number of corona cases has begun trending south, so have the numbers of sealed buildings and containment zones. For the first time since July, when the BMC started sealing buildings (or floors in buildings) and marking out containment zones, the numbers in both categories have shown a rapid decline.
In just a month, the number of sealed buildings has declined by 30.48 per cent, while the number of containment zones in the city has dropped by 12.18 per cent.
As on November 1, there are 7,265 sealed buildings and 584 containment zones left across the city, as against 10,450 sealed buildings and 665 containment zones on September 30. The city’s first case was reported on March 9, following which the ambit of containment in the city had only been increasing.
Declaring a slum pocket as a containment zone or sealing a building on detection of Covid cases means the areas are under strict lockdown, allowing minimal movement, only for essential services.
Of the more than 51,000 buildings sealed after cases were detected on their premises since April, 43,583 buildings have been unsealed so far, allowing residents to get back to their routine lives.Civic officials, however, said that the number of active sealed buildings is very dynamic concept. "The increase and decrease in the number of sealed buildings and containment zones solely depend on the number of Covid-19 positive patients reported from a building or a congested area (chawls/slums). The dip in the numbers is a positive sign and reassures Mumbaikars that the number of active cases in the city are steadily declining. We are working to arrest the decline and contain the outbreak," said a senior BMC official.
In Mumbai, the recovery rate jumped to 89 per cent on Sunday, while the growth rate declined to 0.41 per cent. A total of 1,145 new cases were detected in Mumbai on Friday and 993 on Saturday but this number declined further, to 908 on Sunday. The death toll on Friday and Saturday was 32 each, but on Sunday, this number came down to 25. Meanwhile, the average case doubling rate in the city is now 157 days. The highest doubling rate of 362 days has been reported in F south ward (Parel, Currey Road, Kalachowki, Sewri and GTB Nagar) and the lowest doubling rate of 120 days has been reported from K west ward (Andheri West, Juhu, Versova).
