The number of new coronavirus cases in Mumbai’s Dharavi slum has reported a sharp drop, even as Maharashtra’s cumulative tally reached 6,817, NDTV reported on Saturday. In Asia’s largest slum that saw its first positive case on April 1, authorities have embarked on an ambitious screening process because of the density of the population and poor sanitation in the area.
Dharavi reported six new coronavirus cases and one death on Friday, compared with 25 on the previous day. This is the lowest single-day rise after April 15, The Hindu reported.
So far, the total cases have risen to 220 and 14 fatalities have been reported from the area.
New cases were found in Gopinath Nagar, Kalyan Wadi, Janta Nagar, Banwari compound and Maulana Azad Nagar localities on Friday, according to PTI.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has undertaken aggressive contact tracing, placing certain contacts in institutional quarantine and setting up fever clinic in the slum area, where nearly seven lakh people live in cramped lanes.
However, authorities said it is “too early” to predict if they have flattened the curve of new Covid-19 cases.
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Maharashtra bans sale of fish at roadside markets
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra fisheries department has issued restrictions on the fishing trade, including a ban on retail sale at roadside markets, Hindustan Times reported. The department published a 43-point standard operating procedure on how to operate amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Wholesalers can sell fish while maintaining social distancing guidelines, but retail fish sale by vendors across markets has been banned until further notice.
“Safety of citizens is of utmost importance,” Rajendra Jadhav, joint commissioner, state fisheries department said. “The decision is mainly focused on fisherfolk who set up stalls at sections of the market, landing sites or main roads, to avoid overcrowding and chances of community transmission. It comes as a difficult decision as lots of fisherwomen are employed in such activities across the Konkan but we were left with no option following overcrowding incidents being brought to our notice by the police.”
Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases in India and 18 fresh fatalities took the toll to 301 on Saturday. While Friday’s numbers were considerably less than the over 700-case rise on Thursday, Mumbai’s tally touched 4,447, with 242 of the 394 new cases reported from the financial capital.
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