Coronavirus in Mumbai: Clinic sealed, search for kids, parents who visited

Coronavirus in Mumbai: Clinic sealed, search for kids, parents who visited

The doctor’s daughter returned with him on March 16 and was placed under home quarantine for 14 days.

Amit SrivastavaUpdated: Wednesday, April 01, 2020, 05:26 AM IST
article-image
Coronavirus | ANI

Navi Mumbai: Civic authorities have sealed a paediatric clinic in New Panvel and begun an urgent contact tracing exercise to identify children and their parents who visited it. This is because the doctor continued to examine patients despite his daughter being under home quarantine after returning from the US.

The doctor’s daughter returned with him on March 16 and was placed under home quarantine for 14 days. According to the Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC), the doctor failed to report this to the authorities and continued to examine patients at his clinic during the quarantine period.

Civic officials said the doctor visited Sai Paediatric Clinic in Sector 19 in New Panvel as usual, and carried out physical examination of patients. They, however, pointed out that neither the doctor, nor his daughter, had been tested yet for coronavirus, as they were asymptomatic.

“The doctor did not take the matter seriously and put others' lives at risk,” said a health officer from the PCMC. He added that since the doctor’s daughter was under home quarantine, he should have stopped visiting the clinic, and stayed back at home to prevent any possible spread of the virus. Civic authorities got wind of the lapse during routine follow-ups to check on those under home quarantine.

The civic body immediately sealed the clinic. “If the doctor opens the clinic without the civic body’s consent, its licence will be revoked for a year,” said Ganesh Deshmukh, municipal commissioner of PCMC. The civic body is now tracking down all patients who visited the clinic.

“We will carry out tests of all patients who were either admitted at, or visited, the clinic, including all staff, to check the spread of the virus,” said the official.

“Sometimes the symptoms of the virus take time to manifest, and we will have to track down all children who visited the clinic and monitor them constantly,” said another PCMC official.

Meanwhile, two more persons from Navi Mumbai - from Vashi and Nerul - tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday, and they have been admitted at Kasturba Hospital in Mumbai. The total number of positive cases from the city has reached 10.

As many as 559 people are in home quarantine in Navi Mumbai, apart from 80 people who are under institutional quarantine. There are six persons admitted at an isolation ward in Vashi civic hospital. As many as 113 persons have completed 14 days of quarantine so far. At the same time, 32 have tested corona negative.

RECENT STORIES

Attention Mumbaikars! Fares Of Shared Cabs To Pune, Nashik & Shirdi Hiked; Check Details Here

Attention Mumbaikars! Fares Of Shared Cabs To Pune, Nashik & Shirdi Hiked; Check Details Here

Mumbai: Sena UBT Lok Sabha Candidate Amol Kirtikar Receives 2nd ED Summon In Khichdi Scam Case;...

Mumbai: Sena UBT Lok Sabha Candidate Amol Kirtikar Receives 2nd ED Summon In Khichdi Scam Case;...

Mumbai: Drugs Sent In Foreign Post; 1 Arrested

Mumbai: Drugs Sent In Foreign Post; 1 Arrested

Mumbai: Western Railway Official Gets 3-Year Jail In Corruption Case

Mumbai: Western Railway Official Gets 3-Year Jail In Corruption Case

Mumbai: Churchgate Reataurant Owner Accuses Former Manager Of Extortion

Mumbai: Churchgate Reataurant Owner Accuses Former Manager Of Extortion