The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) M west ward on Sunday registered an FIR at the Govandi police station against a 52-year-old Chembur resident for flouting the mandatory 14-day quarantine rule despite having tested positive for Covid-19. The BMC officials alleged the patient and his family members did not cooperate with the civic staff.
According to the officials of M (west) ward (Govandi, Chembur), they received complaints from the housing society in Chembur where the positive patient resides after the 52-year-old man was found to be freely roaming in public places around despite testing positive for covid-19.
Residents of the society in Ganga estate in Chembur, initially called at the ward office to check if the concerned person has tested positive too considering the test the family undertook a test after their daughter tested positive.
Civic authorities said that initially, his 20-year-old daughter tested positive after which the parents (accused and his wife) got themselves tested for the virus considering they were high-risk contacts and both were found to be positive.
A day later a few society members reported to the BMC that the man has been seen moving in and out of the society and was even seen in public places.
Elaborating on the case Dr Bhupendra Patil, Medical officer of health (BMC M/W ward) said: "There is a mandatory 14-day quarantine period for patients tested positive and have mild symptoms. After the family tested positive, our staff as per the protocol called them up and checked on their health. They in turn kept assuring there were no severe symptoms. However, the society members informed us that he was spotted at the Chembur Gymkhana and was seen going in and out of the society a couple of times."
Patil added, "After receiving complaints when our staff reached their residence, the man's wife initially informed that everything was fine and all of them are at home following quarantine. When asked about her husband she replied that he is in the bathroom having a bath and will take time. When the staff insisted on waiting for him they got to know that he was not at home. The family members did not co-operate with our staff and we had to go ahead and register an FIR against the person. The police have already warned the patient and his family that they need to follow the covid-19 protocol."
The patient and his family, however, alleged that the society has vested interest in complaining against them, Patil informed.
Last week the M West ward officials registered an FIR against the parents of a bride, the groom as well as the organisers of a wedding held in Chembur for violating the state issued SoP for events and functions with not more than 50 people.
Patil said," This is the first case in which an FIR was registered against a person for flouting the quarantine rules in the ward . The action is part of stringent containment measures adopted by BMC after the directions issued by the BMC commissioner recently to act sternly against those not following Covid appropriate behaviour in the city."
