The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Saturday has set up an ambitious target of conducting 47,800 Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) in various crowded places that includes railway stations, malls and MSRTC bus stops of the city, from Monday.
Starting from Monday, Mumbaikars visiting shopping malls will have to present a Covid-19 negative report before entering. The BMC will also set up testing camps outside malls for conducting on-spot RAT tests for patrons who doesn't have a certificate.
The BMC also stated that in each mall atleast 400 visitors needs to be tested daily and at each railway stations atleast 1,000 passengers (both incoming and outgoing) will be tested regularly.
Alongside this the BMC has also pointed out that each municipal ward must carry out 1,000 RAT tests regularly that would cover other crowded places like beaches, Khau-Gullies, religious places, markets, industrial estates and private hospitals.
In a official order released on Saturday, the BMC has mentioned that the cost of the RAT tests conducted at shopping malls will be Rs 250 and will have to be borne by visitors whereas cost of the tests that would be conducted at other public spaces will be borne by the BMC itself.
The civic body has ordered all the assistant municipal commissioners - in-charge of their respective wards to keep a day wise track of the daily cases conducted and the report will be regularly monitored by Suresh Kakani - additional municipal commissioner and incharge of public health in BMC.
"Right now we are focusing to get more and more tests done this will help us to detect the asymptomatic patients at an early stage and may also help us in understanding the pattern of the spread," Kakani told FPJ.
"Depending on the number of crowded places the ward has each ward officer will deploy staffers for carrying out tests," Kakani added. He also mentioned that the BMC has roped in social workers and NGOs for helping Mumbaikars in the registration process for the vaccines.
Meanwhile the civic body has not given uniform target to each ward. The target of conducting RAT tests is being given by examining the number of malls, markets and crowded places present in each ward.
The R central ward (Borivli) has been given a target of conducting 3,800 tests per day. Which is the highest amongst all other wards. In this ward there are two shopping malls, one bus depot and one major railway stations.
"Our ward records high footfall of people daily as Borivli has a junction railway station and a state run bus depot from where long distance buses leave," Bhagyashree Kapse assistant municipal commissioner and in-charge of RC ward told FPJ.
"We have been already carrying out tests in these public spaces, just that from monday onwards the density of health staffers deployed will be more," she added.
