With a surge in Covid-19 cases in Mumbai, BMC commissioner-administrator IS Chahal has put his colleagues on alert.  

Noting that daily new cases have tremendously increased in the city and, with monsoon around the corner, Mumbai could now see a rapid rise in symptomatic cases, the civic chief in an internal note has said that testing should now increase on war-footing and testing labs should be told to be pro-active and fully staffed.

With the trajectory on an upward graph, Mumbai on Tuesday reported over 500 infections after a gap of 114 days. Maharashtra's daily total of Covid-19 cases surpassed 700 for the first time in three months.

Although the state recorded 152 percent more cases in May than in April, mortality rate has plummeted by 70%.

Chahal has instructed the BMC staff that the vaccination drive in 12-18 years category and booster doses must be pushed hard now and jumbo field hospitals be kept adequately staffed and on alert.

Assistant municipal commissioners of wards have been told to review the status of ward war rooms to ensure they are fully equipped with staff, medical teams and ambulances and ensure that private hospitals are put on alert. They must take a daily review of the Covid situation in their wards and make strong intervention wherever required.

The AMCs should now visit jumbo hospitals in their jurisdictions to ensure they are monsoon-ready with de-watering pumps, structural stability certification and fire safety mechanisms in place. There should be enough house-keeping, catering, paramedical and medical staff as well as oxygen manufacturing plants fully equipped with medicines etc.

The note says the Malad jumbo hospital would be put to use on priority if the hospitalisation increases in coming days.

Earlier, during the launch of ‘Iqbal Singh Chahal: Covid Warrior’, a book authored by veteran journalist Minhaz Merchant, the municipal commissioner had said that a fourth wave could hit the city between July and September but will be milder than the third wave and wont impact public health systems.

Mumbai's city guardian minister, Aslam Sheikh, has also said that Maharashtra will impose another lockdown if Covid instances continue to rise and top a thousand in the state. He added that sanctions cannot be ruled out if individuals do not take precautions.