The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation`s (BMC) Jumbo COVID Centres that continue to function even as COVID-19 cases have stabilised in the city, will now be partially operational. The BMC has decided to keep many of the units inside these centres locked to reduce the maintenance cost, but it will not completely shut these centres till at least March 31. The BMC has spent around Rs 213.08 crore till December 2020 on the upkeep of its Jumbo facilities.

The BMC has previously shut down nearly 450 small COVID care facilities across the 24 municipal wards in Mumbai. It will also shut its electricity and daily maintenance at locked up units in Jumbo centres in order to cut the additional cost. The sections shut will be on standby to ensure that they can be operational as and when the need arises. If shut and dismantled, setting up of the Jumbo facilities again in case of a second wave will be a tedious process, said officials.