For the first time since July last year, the doubling rate in four municipal wards has fallen below the 40-day mark.
As per the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) data, the H west (HW) ward which covers the Bandra, Khar and Santacruz areas and the P south (PS) ward, which covers the Goregaon area have the lowest doubling rate of 35 days, followed by M West (MW) ward (Chembur) which has a doubling rate of 38 days and K east (KE) ward which covers the Andheri East and Jogeshwari areas, has a doubling period of 39 days.
Alongside these wards the overall average doubling period of Mumbai stands at 46 days.
Earlier in June 2020, when the pandemic was at its peak, only two wards had recorded doubling period that was less than 40 days. Senior civic officials have said that the doubling rate has fallen due to the rapid spread of the virus.
"All these wards have higher population living in high rises than slum areas, the rate of infection has increased aggressively in the past one month because the city is not under lockdown anymore and people started moving out," a senior civic health official told FPJ.
The official also maintained that the pattern of the spread has also changed in the past few weeks. He said, earlier only those who have a travel history used to test positive, while now people are being tested randomly.
"Now people who don't have a travel history but have been going out for their work is also being tested positive, the pattern of the spread has changed and now cases are being reported from clusters in many buildings," the official said.
"Also, we are now conducting random tests at various crowded spaces, this is also helping us to trace a lot of asymptomatic patients," the official added.
Meanwhile, due to the rapid spread in the cases, many residential buildings have gone back to imposing voluntary lockdown and have started to restrict movement of residents.
Multiple housing societies in Bandra and Andheri areas, has now stopped drivers and maids from entering the premises of their residents.
"We have issued a circular in WhatsApp groups and have asked people to not step out unless it is absolutely necessary, there are three towers and in the last one month more than 20 cases have been reported from our society," said Sumit Sehgal a resident and office bearer of Excelsior heights, Bandra West.
"More than 80 percent of the residents in our apartment are senior citizens, which is why we have imposed a voluntary lockdown as cases have started rising," said Peter D Mello a resident of Sunshine Towers, Carter Road.
Some of the residents have also reactivated their quarantine facilities that they have started last year. The residents stated now that cases are reported in clusters, civic officials are insisting that the patients move to quarantine facilities.
"We had transformed our community hall into a two bed quarantine facility last year, however, we had discontinued it during November but now that cases have started to rise again, we have re-activated it yet again and presently there is one patient in it," said Peter Rodrigues, resident of Evershine housing society, Bandra.
