Mumbai: 2 more kin of Dharavi woman infected, taking total to seven

MUMBAI: The city's largest slum pocket, Dharavi, saw two new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the total there to seven.
The new cases are relatives of a patient who had tested positive for coronavirus over the weekend. Civic authorities said after the 30-year-old woman from Dr Baliga Nagar was found infected, her family, identified as high-risk contacts, were immediately tested for the virus.
After the results of her 80-year-old father and 49-year-old brother came positive, both were shifted to civic hospitals. A 56-year-old man who was confirmed positive died last week at Dr Baliga Nagar. During contact-tracing, civic authorities suspected that the 30-year-old's father may have been in touch with the 56-year-old deceased.
"Her father probably visited the same mosque. We are trying to establish if he interacted with couples who had gone to Markaz Nizamuddin and were staying in another flat owned by the deceased in the locality," a BMC official told TOI.
Looking at the growing numbers, Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale wrote to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray requesting a complete lockdown in the area but it was ruled out following the visit of state health minister Rajesh Tope, MLA Varsha Gaikwad, police and BMC officials on Tuesday evening. State and civic officials said considering the cramped spaces in which residents here live, it would be practically impossible to completely lock down the area. Police have been told to increase vigilance and ensure they don't venture out unnecessarily. He also said social distancing must be followed.
Police sources said Tope also told them to ensure distribution of rations so that people are not inconvenienced and there is no crowding. Tope suggested that community toilets in the area be regularly disinfected. He also visited Rajiv Gandhi District Sports Complex in Dharavi, which has been acquired by civic authorities for a quarantine facility, and Sai hospital, where Covid-19 patients can be shifted if there is a large outbreak in the area. Ventilators at the hospital are proposed to be increased too.
(Inputs by S Ahmed Ali)