Asia's largest slum Dharavi, which was once a hotspot of coronavirus infection with rapidly increasing COVID-19 positive cases, has now in the last seven days not recorded a single person to the virus and has also seen a decline in the number of positive cases as well.
According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official data, June 1, there were 34 cases of COVID-19 positive reported from Dharavi whereas, on June 7, a total of 13 cases were reported.
Further, on June 6, Dharavi had recorded only 10 COVID-19 positive cases. On June 5 there were 17 positive cases while on June 4, it reported 23 positive cases. Hence, as per official data, the curve of COVID-19 positive cases in Dharavi slum has started showing a declining trend.
The total positive cases in Dharavi stands at 1,912 as on June 7. Since May 30, in the last 7 days, there were no deaths due to COVID-19 in Dharavi which is a sign of relief.
Assistant Municipal Commissioner of BMC Kiran Dighawkar who is also in charge of Dharavi's Mission Corona said: "The aggressive screening in Dharavi area has helped in lowering the positive cases. Nearly 6 to 7 lakh people have been screened home to home by BMC health workers, private clinic doctors, mobile van, Municipal dispensary, etc." He further added: "We worked on the formula of screen maximum people for fever, oxygen level and other symptoms and isolate them and test them proactively." According to data available with BMC, Dharavi has a population of 8.5 lakh. A total of 8,500 people from the area were kept in government quarantine facilities at various places.
BMC has tested 4,000 people while 1,350 people were tested through fever camps set up in Dharavi.
This slum in central Mumbai had become the hotspot of corona infection since the first case was detected here on April 1, a week after the national lockdown came into force.
