Mentally-disturbed man roaming in Vasai wearing PPE kit sparks fear

BMC healthcare workers during door-to-door screening in Malad. Picture/Satej Shinde

As Mumbai struggles to contain the spread of coronavirus amid rising number of cases, the city and its neighbouring areas face another challenge of improper disposal of PPE kits and face masks. The kits being thrown on the road and in garbage dumps pose serious questions about the possibility of the virus spreading even further.

The Maharashtra health department has directed health workers to dispose of PPE kits, face masks, and gloves in a proper manner as per the guidelines. The objective behind this move is to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The authorities have received reports from Vasai and Virar that these instructions are not being followed and PPE kits and masks have been seen lying in the garbage or dumped on road.

This negligence came to light when a mentally disturbed person was seen walking on the road in Vasai wearing a used PPE kit. This led to chaos in the area. Ramkumar Gupta, a resident, said that the health of people is at risk due to the negligence of medical workers.

Speaking to mid-day, he said that the mentally-challenged man was seen roaming in the area wearing a used PPE kit. He further said that the man used to collect garbage and waste that people keep outside their shops. When asked by onlookers, the man said that a doctor from Virar's Narangi village gave him the used PPE kit.

There have been several instances of used PPE kits and face masks found lying in the garbage dumps in Vasai and Virar area. Gupta said that this man must have been wearing the used PPE kit for the past several days and would have met so many people during this time. "If those people get infected, who will be held responsible for that," he questioned.

He further said that the authorities should take the matter seriously and take action against those being careless and not following guidelines. Mid-day tried to contact Vasai-Virar Municipal commissioner Gangadharan Devrajan for his quote but he did not answer the call.

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