By Dominick Rodrigues
Mumbai: MCGM — Mumbai city’s municipal corporation – is clamping down hard on enforcing Covid-19 precautions in view of the rapidly-rising cases noted recently in the city and the State of Maharashtra.
The Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal recently issued strict directives that read: “Citizens flouting rules for home isolation, weddings and public gatherings will be prosecuted. Buildings with more than 5 COVID-19 patients will be sealed. Stamping of Hands for positive patients advised Home Quarantine. 300 marshals will be appointed to take action against passengers travelling without mask in suburban railways and the number of marshals will be doubled to take action against citizens without masks, with an aim to catch 25,000 offenders every day. Orders to raid marriage halls, clubs, restaurants etc. to check COVID appropriate behavior. Passengers coming to Mumbai from Brazil will be put in compulsory Institutional Quarantine. Number of tests will be increased in wards having rising number of cases.”
“Although the spread of COVID-19 in Mumbai is under control, there has been a surge in the number of cases over the past few days. Hence all MCGM machineries need to be extra vigilant,” Chahal said while noting that the threat of COVID-19 is still not over yet with the new strain of the virus spreading in some parts of the World. “While the vaccination drive is on in full swing across Mumbai and Maharashtra, and since the number of COVID-19 cases have been on the rise for the past few days, Chief Minister Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray has instructed all to take precautions. “
The Municipal Commissioner had reviewed the situation and given necessary directives to all concerned during a meeting on 18th February via video conferencing with all Additional Municipal Commissioners, Zonal Joint Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners of all Ward Offices along with concerned officers.
Noting that in comparison to June-July 2020, the spread of coronavirus in the city is still under control though the system needed to be vigilant due to rising cases, he said public life returning to normalcy called for citizens following all COVID-prevention norms; especially since the threat of coronavirus not being over yet.
All asymptomatic patients being treated at home (home quarantine) to be stamped as earlier. Also, their information should be communicated to their respective societies. Ward War Rooms are instructed to closely monitor the patients. They should be contacted via landline telephone 5 to 6 times a day to ensure that they are at home. Close contacts should be isolated after taking complete information of the patient. If the asymptomatic patient steps out of the house or walks around in any public space before their Home Quarantine period is over, societies are requested to cooperate with MCGM and inform their respective Ward War Rooms. Ward War Rooms are instructed to take legal action against such patients. In addition, these patients will then be subjected to compulsory institutional quarantine.
The Mumbai police are now being empowered to take action against unmasked citizens and can act as marshals by imposing fines on the violators. In order to monitor all places of worship, women marshals will also be deployed along with male marshals.In slums, narrow settlements, densely populated areas, health check-up camps will be organized with the help of NGOs to identify suspects. In addition, patient search should be continued through mobile clinics with emphasis on testing.
As per guidelines issued by the Central Government, all passengers coming to India from Brazil will have to undergo mandatory Institutional Quarantine. In line with the Government of India directives, MCGM has decided to keep all passengers coming to Mumbai from Brazil under mandatory seven-day institutional quarantine. The implementation for the same has already begun
