Mumbai: Hindu Gymkhana shuts as kitchen staffer tests COVID-19 positive

Like other clubs, the Hindu Gymkhana had also closed in 2020 due to COVID-19. File pic/Suresh Karkera

The P J Hindu Gymkhana club on Marine Drive has been temporarily closed. On Thursday afternoon, the member base got messages on their phones saying a kitchen staffer tested positive for COVID-19. According to a notice sent via SMS by the joint managing secretaries Pranav Chikhal and Alpesh Dharia, the club is closed till further notice.

The communication stated, "Members please note, it has been brought to our notice, that one person working in the kitchen area, has been detected as Corona positive. As a precautionary measure, the gymkhana is being shut with immediate effect till further notice so as to carry out the requisite process of sanitising the entire area."

The next lines read that members and their guests who have visited the gymkhana, "in the last seven days are requested to take the required precautionary measures as per guidelines laid down for Corona infection."

Chikhal said on Friday that the club, "will be closed for the next two days. The staffer was a cook." He refused to give any more details adding, "you need to get information from the BMC." Members were wary of speaking to the press, as clubs across the city frown on it when it comes to controversial issues.

A member said that the club which had opened most of its sports facilities and food and beverage amenities, had also opened its card room recently. "There were quite a few people in the card room and that could have, though I am not certain it did, posed a problem," the member said. Another club regular claimed, "we are unsure when this club will re-open." Messages are popping into members' phones about the staffer now testing negative but the club is awaiting results of other staff.

BMC is unaware
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) A ward Assistant Commissioner Chanda Jadhav however said, "We have no knowledge about the Hindu Gymkhana being closed or about any staffer testing positive."

Clubs across the city opened in phases, and now, many of these hubs are near full capacity, with most sporting and snack/dining options open. Many clubs had first started catering on the lawns, if they had space outside, rather than directly opening up restaurants which opened in phases.

Several clubs have also opened their grounds and halls inside for weddings with guest numbers adhering to government guidelines. The lawns of the Marine Drive clubs are very popular wedding venues. The Gymkhanas on Marine Drive, the Parsi Gymkhana, Islam Gymkhana, Hindu Gymkhana, Catholic Gymkhana have a rich legacy and showcase the cosmopolitan melting pot that is Mumbai. The P J Hindu Gymkhana was founded in 1894.