Iqbal Singh Chahal, the municipal commissioner of BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), who is leading Mumbai in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, stated on Saturday that the maximum city is ready to unlock itself. However, the rise in cases in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region is a matter of concern.
"Mumbai has done well in the fight against COVID-19 and it has reached a stage where unlocking could be done. However, the situation in the adjoining districts of Mumbai is concerning, as the cases in Pune and Thane are on the rise and, presently, have a higher rate of active cases than Mumbai itself," said a satisfactory Chahal, in an online question and answer session.
"If Mumbai is unlocked completely, then people from these districts will travel to Mumbai for work. It will further the spread of the virus in the city; thus, putting water on all the hard work that the frontline warriors have done so far," he added.
The BMC chief stated, in May, Mumbai had a doubling rate of nine days, which has risen to 64 days now. He also mentioned, of the total 1,76,000 cases reported, only 22,300 cases are active now, of which most cases are asymptomatic.
"Standing where we are today, Pune has 44,000 active cases and Thane has 37,000 active cases, which is higher than Mumbai. The day these nearby districts reach the state where Mumbai is today, I will be the first person to urge the chief minister to completely unlock the city," asserted Chahal.
Highlighting the importance of door-to-door testing, which is being done as part of the BMC's Mission Zero campaign, Chahal stated that in the last 110 days, the civic body has tested 1.72 crore people in Mumbai through door-to-door visits.
"Due to the aggressive door-to-door testing, Mumbai was able to contain the spread of the virus. Had we not initiated it, more people would have tested positive today," Chahal said.
"Presently, only a seventh of the total 7,600 tests that are being done regularly are coming out positive, of which more than 85 per cent are either asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. Earlier, a third of the total tests used to be positive," he added.
The civic chief also affirmed that the exemplary show the city hospitals and healthcare workers have put up has a possibility of transforming Mumbai into a destination for medical tourism in the future.
Sharing some tips for the Mumbaikars, the civic chief stressed on the importance of masks and maintaining social distance. "Top class social discipline is going to be the new normal henceforth. Unless Mumbaikars are socially disciplined, things will be uncomfortable in the long run," Chahal stated, while also highlighting the importance of sanitation and maintaining personal hygiene. "Wearing a mask is heavily important. Mumbaikars must inculcate the habit of wearing masks whenever they step out. Because by wearing a mask, you don’t just protect yourself, but also your near and dear ones," he concluded.
