Three new coronavirus cases in Mumbai's Dharavi; total tally now 10

Dharavi has reported three more coronavirus cases on Wednesday, taking the number in Asia's largest slum area to 10, a civic offical said.

The three patients are a 25-year-old man from Mukund Nagar locality, a 35-year-old man from Dhanwada chawl, and a 60-year-old woman, who resides in Muslim Nagar, news agency PTI reported.

The patient from Mukund Nagar was a high risk contact of a 49-year-old man, who earlier tested positive for coronavirus, and was kept at a quarantine facility, the official said.

"The 60-year-old woman from Muslim Nagar works as a cleaner at the KEM Hospital. She tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday afternoon, which took the number of Covid-19 patients from Dharavi to 10. These cases include a 56-year-old person who died at Sion Hospital," he said.

"Contact tracing is underway in Dhanwada chawl (where another new case has been reported)," the official said, adding they are going to seal the area as per the protocol.

Rajesh Tope, Maharashtra’s health minister, told Business Standard earlier that Dharavi was a grave concern for the government, given the density of its population and the poverty of its residents.

“We are ensuring there is strict adherence to the rules of the lockdown in Dharavi. We do not allow crowds to collect, but it isn’t easy. There’s a space constraint, people are poor and without work right now. There are challenges,” he said.

Most NGOs working in Dharavi say there is an urgent need to put money into people’s bank accounts. Moreover, ration should be reached to their homes to prevent them from crowding into ration shops and increasing the risk of spreading the virus.

Around 15 lakh people live in Dharavi's small shanties, making it one of the most congested areas of Mumbai.