Coronavirus: Dharavi is a huge challenge in efforts to enforce social distancing
Two more people have been found infected with COVID-19 in Dharavi near south Mumbai, taking the total number of positive coronavirus cases to five in the crowded area. The last person to test positive before these two fresh cases was a 35-year-old doctor.
Sources said all of them have been quarantined and people who could have come in contact with them are being traced.
Dharavi near Mumbai airport is Asia's largest slum. More than a million people live the 5-sqkm slum that has a maze of dirty lanes and cramped huts packed with large families. Over 70 per cent of the residents use community toilets. Small industries and workshops for leather goods, pottery and textiles operate from the area.
Thickly populated zones like Dharavi are a huge challenge in efforts to enforce social distancing critical in checking the novel coronavirus, which spreads easily from person to person. The World Health Organisation has said the novel coronavirus can spread from surface contact and respiratory droplets. A novel virus is one that has not been previously identified in humans.
Mumbai is among the virus hotspots identified by the government. The state has over 420 cases and 19 deaths linked to the virus. The number of COVID-19 cases across the country crossed
Sixty-eight people have died in India after being infected with COVID-19, the Health Ministry said today, as the country recorded the highest number of cases (601) and deaths (12) on Friday. The fresh cases take the total to 2,902.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked chief ministers to prepare a plan for phased movement of people once the 21-day nationwide lockdown.