Mumbai: 10 members of family test positive for Covid-19 at Byculla chawl

Nine members of a family tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday at a chawl in Byculla’s Morland Road in Mumbai. The first coronavirus patient in the family, a 63-year-old man, had tested positive on April 3. He has a history of diabetes and other ailments.

His test was conducted on April 1 after which his family members were isolated and tested. Nine of them have now found to be Covid-19 positive.

While the senior citizen is admitted at the Kasturba Hospital, 9 of his family members were kept in isolation by the BMC at the Civic Training Centre in Powai. Among those who tested positive are the man's wife, daughters, nieces and nephews.

After the 10 cases were confirmed, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) started its containment activity in the area.

Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh said, The containment efforts have started now. The MCGM should have done this earlier to contain the spread of the virus. The chawl is densely populated and chances of community spread are high.

The 63-year-old man doesn’t have a history of travel and didn’t move out of the house for many days as he was unwell.

He has two sons, one works at a bank and other at a mall. It’s likely that the man must have contracted the coronavirus from one of his family members. All the nine members tested positive were found to be asymptomatic, added Shaikh.

The BMC has traced 19 more high-risk contacts of the family who are yet to be shifted out of the chawl.

These 19 people will have to be moved out. If the virus is not contained it will lead to a community spread. Once the premises are sealed by BMC and police they will have to be disinfected, said Shaikh.