Mumbai: Maharashtra Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that the government is strictly following the norms and protocol released by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to combat CoVID-19 in the state. It is aiming to further improve its implementation of the containment strategy to curb the spread of the virus.
Tope, accompanied by the central team to review the relief mechanism and quarantine facility in the densely populated slum pockets of Dharavi, told FPJ, “The committee reviewed the state of dedicated hospitals and the implementation of the containment plan.
It suggested to increase the quarantine facility from the present level of 1,200 beds in Dharavi. BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will increase the number of beds by 800 to 2,000 by acquiring schools and community halls from the same area.’’ He informed that he has asked BMC to raise tents on the open ground, if required, to provide quarantine facilities.
Tope said, there are five containment zones in Dharavi and they are completely cordoned off. However, he added that the civic staff was in consultation with the police on how to provide amenities and supply food pockets in those containment zones.
‘’The state government’s Containment Strategy is paying off in Dharavi. The number of coronavirus cases is not increasing. BMC and containment squads are shifting suspected cases into the hospitals for further treatment. Arrangement for oxygen and testing will be increased in the area,’’ he said. He added that the government has been regularly amending the containment strategy in a bid to curb the spread of the virus not just in Dharavi or in Mumbai, but in the rest of Maharashtra.
"Cases in Dharavi have not increased in the last couple of days, indicating that our containment strategy has been working in the area, which has five containment zones," he reiterated.
Tope said the doubling rate has increased, while the death rate has reduced. ‘’Rapid tests will be conducted after ICMR’s clearance in Mumbai and other parts of the state,’’ he noted.
