Two staffers of the Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation's 24/7 disaster management control room have tested positive for novel coronavirus, an official said on Monday.
The disaster management control room, situated on the third floor of the annexe building beside the imposing civic headquarters and manned by 50-60 employees, is the nerve centre for dissemination of information and coordination between departments and crack teams during emergencies.
"Two employees working in the control room have tested positive for the coronavirus. However, the control room is completely functional and it also has a back up facility based in Parel," a BMC spokesperson said.
Sources said one of the staffers is a resident of Dharavi, among the world's densest urban clusters, and a COVID-19 hotspot with around 140 positive cases, including 11 deaths.
The second COVID-19 patient lives in central Mumbai, sources said.
Sources said control room staffers were tested earlier for the virus but the procedure may be repeated after these two people tested positive.
"The control room has 55 direct hotlines for direct communication with fire brigade, railways, police and other agencies, besides live feed from 5000 CCTV cameras across the city. It also takes care of the COVID-19 civic helpline," said an official explaining the critical role of the control room.
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