Mumbai:Micro-containment begins in Mumbai on PM cue to states

Mumbai: Following the Centre’s cue, BMC officials have started taking micro-containment measures to curb coronavirus spread in the city. In south Mumbai's D ward, officials have already started testing hawkers and vendors at prominent markets.
Ward officer Prashant Gaikwad said that over the past two days, hawkers at Bhaji Galli in Grant Road and Sadashiv Lane in Girgaon were tested.“Several locals flock to these markets and therefore we decided to aggressively test the vendors and also shopkeepers in commercial establishments. Vendors could be Covid-19 carriers and so we wanted to tap infection sources,” said Gaikwad, adding that while D ward is mainly witnessing Covid cases s housing societies, on Tuesday, three cases were reported from slum pockets. The ward has seen almost 90 positive cases on a single day. When the infection was at its peak in the city in August-September, per-day cases had crossed over 100.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a virtual meeting with chief ministers and health ministers of high Covid-burden states and advised states to increase the use of RT-PCR testing for Covid-19 detection, and ramp up testing. “We should be proactive. Wherever necessary, micro-containment zones should be declared without hesitation,” the PM told the CMs.
The ward officer of R-Central (Borivli belt), Bhagyashree Khapse, said that in a bid to ensure that their own staff is protected, the BMC has been conducting antigen tests on those visiting the ward. “The citizen facilitation centre is visited by hundreds of people daily. Therefore we are administering tests to them,” she said. “We also have teams of doctors conducting testing at Borivli railway station.”
In M-west ward, officials said teams are informed in advance of venues booked for wedding celebrations and the 50-person rule is applied. “Permissions given to the concerned party are posted on local WhatsApp groups. We take action if we discover that celebrations are taking place without permission," said an official. In G-North ward (Dadar-Dharavi), officials said testing camps are being set up in areas from where cases are being reported. “Multiple booths have been set up so that the testing process is fast and smooth,” said an official.