On Christmas, Mumbai’s Dharavi records zero Covid cases

By Quaid Najmi Mumbai, Dec 25 : In what could be termed a “Christmas present” for the BMC, Asia’s largest slum Dharavi notched zero cases on Friday – first time since the Covid-19 pandemic appeared in the congested settlement on April 1, health officials said.
At one point, it ranked as the worst hotspot and the most worrisome for the health authorities, but Dharavi now has a mere 12 active cases currently under treatment in local hospitals.
“We salute the people of Dharavi for their full cooperation, following the BMC’s SOPs and other health guidelines that has helped immensely,” an elated BMC Municipal Commissioner I.S. Chahal told IANS.
“This is a major progress and achievement since the first case and death was reported from Dharavi on April 1. All our efforts to control the pandemic here have yielded fruitful results. Nevertheless, our vigil continues,” said a local BMC Ward official, requesting anonymity.
Till date, Dharavi has notched a total 3,788 cases, – compared with Mumbai’s 289,800 – and just 12 active cases vis-a-vis the city’s current total of 20,128.
After a quiet entry into Dharavi on April 1, the locality attracted national and even global attention as cases continued to soar in April-May-June, posing a huge challenge for the BMC and the Maharashtra government.