1. State Inches Closer to 2,000 Mark; 1,982 Coronavirus Cases and 149 Deaths so Far
Maharashtra recorded 221 coronavirus cases and 22 deaths on Sunday, taking the state closer to the 2,000-case mark at 1,982. The death toll has reached 149, state figures revealed.
The state had crossed 1,000 cases just last Tuesday, but the past nine days reported more than 100 per day, including three days that saw more than 200 cases. Mumbai has 1,298 cases and 92 deaths. The state has tested 41,109 people and has kept 5,064 suspected patients in government quarantine facilities, while 61,247 are quarantined at home, said health officials.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
2. Social Distancing in Dharavi: 8.5 Lakh People Holed up in 2.4 Sq Km
“Gharat raha, baaher padu naka (stay indoors, don’t step out),” blares a loudspeaker atop a police vehicle on patrol near Garib Nagar in Dharavi, as several men with hankies tied around their faces stand around in groups of four or five. This is the fifth time that the police have driven down this road in 15 minutes. Their warnings unheeded, the policemen get off and charge with batons raised — and some of the men, scampering towards the lanes of the slum, get it on the leg. The policemen get back into their vehicle and drive towards another part of Dharavi. Five minutes later, the groups of men are back in the empty streets, defying the lockdown.
Spread over 2.4 sq km, Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum, is home to some 60,000 families and 8.5 lakh people — among the most densely packed human habitations on the planet. Once cases of novel coronavirus infection started appearing here, the density of population sparked fears of community transmission.
(Source: The Indian Express)
3. Last SSC Paper Cancelled; Maharashtra Education Department Won’t Hold Class 9, 11 Exams Too
In a major relief to around 17 lakh students in the the state, the education department on Sunday has decided to cancel the last paper [Geography] of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exam after the Maharashtra government decided to extend the lockdown till 30 April. The exams for the vocational subjects, which are offered to students with special needs, and are conducted two-three days after the main exams, have also been cancelled.
State education minister Varsha Gaikwad also announced the cancellation of exams for Class 9 and Class 11 which are conducted by the schools and junior colleges respectively. Students will be promoted on the basis of the previous exams. The Mumbai Junior College Teachers’ Association had called for the cancellation of Class 11 exams earlier and had suggested that students be promoted directly to Class 12.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
4. Mumbai Resident Doctors Struggle to Keep Distance in Crammed Hostel Rooms
While they are asking patients to practise distancing amid the COVID-19 outbreak, resident doctors in Mumbai are struggling to follow the same principle. Lodged in crammed hostels, each resident doctor is sharing a room with three or four other doctors.
Their mattresses are one or two feet apart and there is a common toilet for about 10 doctors. On Sunday, two resident doctors tested positive for COVID-19 in Sion hospital and two more in Seven Hills Hospital. The cases have sent alarm bells ringing among resident doctors who now fear that living in close quarters may become a source of cross infection for the front line workers.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. For Pavement Dwellers in the City, Almost No Access to Water
As seven-year-old Prem Rajput splashed water on his younger sibling Radhe from a bucket, Radha Rajput (65), his grandmother scolds him. “Don’t waste water. There isn’t enough for today,” she yells, drawing a scowl from Prem. As the boys reluctantly abandon their play, Rajput explains.
“We’re at the mercy of a good samaritan at a nearby Bohri cemetery. He allows us to fill one gallon of water a day. We have to make do with that,” she says. While water was always a scarce commodity for pavement dwellers like Rajput, the chawls, the hotels, and public gardens that they would rely on to meet their requirements have shut the gates on them following the imposition of the national lockdown.
(Source: The Indian Express)
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