COVID-19: City back to normal from May 4? Not likely, says BMC

Jijamata Nagar in Worli is one of the containment zones in the city. Pic/Ashish Raje

Although the extended lockdown ends on May 3 and people would like nothing better than to go back to their previous routines the next day, the lockdown is unlikely to disappear. With several areas being converted into containment zones, Mumbai will have at least 312 containment zones as per the latest count even on and after May 4.

With cases still on the rise, the city returning to its previous rhythm is highly unlikely. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has the maximum number of Coronavirus patients in its jurisdiction and it has been sealing affected areas for 14 days, disallowing people from venturing outside.

So far, the BMC has sealed 1,214 areas, out of which more than half are slum pockets. Till April 20, there were 902 Containment Zones (CZ). Between April 21 and 24, 312 buildings and slum pockets were sealed, with the reopening day of the last ones being May 8. Even if the BMC does not create any more CZs, 312 will be sealed beyond May 3.

"With some CZs reopened, there are currently 983 active ones in the city. Around half of them are slums and congested areas like chawls where the chances of transmission are high," said a BMC officer. Till Friday morning, the BMC had sealed 87 areas in 24 hours after detecting 478 more cases.

Of the 983 CZs across 24 wards, the maximum increase was in E ward that comprises Byculla. The area has 65 CZs, mostly congested ones. On the other hand, the maximum number of CZs is in K West ward that comprises the area between Vile Parle West and Jogeshwari West, with 95 buildings/chawls sealed. L ward, comprising Kurla, has 90 CZs. The hotspots of Coronavirus, that is D ward (Malabar Hill, Tardeo), G South ward (Worli, Prabhadevi) are still on top of the chart with 43 and 92 CZs respectively. In the western suburbs, H East ward (Santacruz to Bandra East) has 74 CZs; in eastern suburbs, M East ward (Govandi, Mankhurd) has 45 and S ward (Bhandup) has 50 CZs.

231 CZs opened

A positive development amid the increasing cases was that 231 CZs were opened up after they completed their 14 day quarantine. Most of the released buildings (35 CZs) are from the K West ward that comprises Jogeshwari West, Andheri West and Vile Parle West, where there was a high number of Coronavirus patients initially. In the D ward (Malabar Hill, Tardeo), 27 CZs have been released, 23 areas reopened in Malad, and 20 opened in the H East ward (Santacruz East to Bandra East).

Mumbai's Containment Zones (CZ)

Total: 1,214
Active: 983
Released: 231

CZs in wards
K West: 95
G South: 92
L: 90
H East: 74
E: 65
S: 50
M East: 45
D: 43

Zone spotting

You can check out all the containment zones in the city on:
https://stopcoronavirus.mcgm.gov.in/insights-on-map

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