Mumbai: The Dharavi area of Mumbai did not report a single COVID-19 case in the last 24 hours, for the first time since April 1 when the first coronavirus patient was detected in the area.
Now, no new cases have been detected. Speaking on the matter, Maharashtra state surveillance officer Dr Pradeep Awate said that the "Dharavi model" is significant in highlighting the imporance of community-based participation in tackling health crises.
He said that the success of the 'Dharavi model' lies in its community participation and the role played by private doctors overseen by the public health department.
"Dharavi model underlines the importance of community-based model and community participation in any public health crisis," news agency ANI quoted Dr Pradeep Awate, State Surveillance Officer, as saying.
"The model of tracing, testing, and treatment was found to be useful due to community participation and the vital role played by private doctors in Dharavi with the guidance of the bureaucracy and public health department," he added.
Dharavi once reported highest COVID cases on daily basis. It has an area of over 2.1 square kilometres and a population of about 10,00,000, which makes Dharavi a densely populated area.
A resident of Dharavi, Akbar said "It was a collective effort by the people of Dharavi and the authorities. Many infected people were unaware of them getting infected of virus and if they did, they had no option but to stay in a small house with 5-10 people. This is the story of every resident of Dharavi.
"Later BMC took efforts but it was us to take precautions and measures, so it isn't just BMC but the residents of Dharavi as well because of whom the cases have decreased," he added.
Maharashtra has reported 57,955 active cases, 18,06,298 recoveries and 49,129 fatalities, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
(With inputs from agencies)
