• 300 marshals will be appointed to take action against passengers travelling without mask in suburban railways

• Number of marshals will be doubled to take action against citizens without masks, with an aim to catch 25,000 offenders every day

• Orders to raid marriage halls, clubs, restaurants etc. to check COVID appropriate behaviour

• Passengers coming to Mumbai from Brazil will be put in compulsory Institutional Quarantine

• Number of tests will be increased in wards having rising number of cases

Although the spread of COVID-19 in Mumbai is under control, there has been a surge in the number of cases over the past few days. Hence all MCGM machineries need to be extra vigilant. In view of the rising number of cases in the city, hands of those who are advised for home quarantine shall be stamped while those breaking rules shall be prosecuted. Action shall also be initiated against organisers and managements/establishments flouting rules laid down for organising weddings. 300 marshals to be deployed in suburban trains to take action against citizens travelling without masks. Number of marshals to be deployed across Mumbai will be doubled. Buildings with more than 5 COVID-19 patients to be sealed, and more such directives were issued today by Municipal Commissioner Shri Iqbal Singh Chahal.

The threat of COVID-19 is still not over yet with the new strain of the virus spreading in some parts of the World. While the vaccination drive is on in full swing across Mumbai and Maharashtra, and since the number of COVID-19 cases have been on the rise for the past few days, Chief Minister Shri Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray has instructed all to take precautions.

In this regard, Municipal Commissioner Shri Iqbal Singh Chahal held a meeting with all Additional Municipal Commissioners, Zonal Joint Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners of all Ward Offices along with concerned officers via video conferencing. Municipal Commissioner Shri Chahal reviewed the situation and gave necessary directives to all concerned.

Municipal Commissioner Shri Chahal said that in comparison to June-July 2020, the spread of coronavirus in the city is still under control. However, with the number of cases on the rise, the system needs to be vigilant. As public life returns to normalcy, it becomes all the more important for citizens to follow all COVID-prevention norms; especially since the threat of coronavirus is not over yet. It is pertinent to take stringent action against offenders to limit the spread of the virus. In line with the above, Municipal Commissioner Shri Chahal has given the following directives:

1. All asymptomatic patients being treated at home (home quarantine) to be stamped as earlier. Also, their information should be communicated to their respective societies. Ward War Rooms are instructed to closely monitor the patients. They should be contacted via landline telephone 5 to 6 times a day to ensure that they are at home. Close contacts should be isolated after taking complete information of the patient. If the asymptomatic patient steps out of the house or walks around in any public space before their Home Quarantine period is over, societies are requested to cooperate with MCGM and inform their respective Ward War Rooms. Ward War Rooms are instructed to take legal action against such patients. In addition, these patients will then be subjected to compulsory institutional quarantine.

2. Residential buildings with more than 5 COVID-19 patients will be sealed.

3. Use of mask is mandatory in wedding ceremonies, gymkhanas/clubs, nightclubs, restaurants, cinema halls, all religious places, playgrounds and gardens, public places, shopping malls as well as all private offices. If it is found that masks are not being used and more than 50 people are found gathered at the same time, then the concerned persons will be fined. Establishments and managements will also be prosecuted.

4. Regular inspection of halls, marriage halls shall be done. At least 5 such places should be raided and inspected every day. If violation of any rule is found, legal action should be taken against the organizers of the wedding/parents of the bride-groom as well as the concerned management.

5. In order to take action against those who do not use masks properly and spit in public places, the number of 2,400 marshals currently working in Mumbai should be doubled to 4,800. It is necessary to put up deterrent on those who are roaming without mask. In view of this, punitive action should be aimed against about 25,000 citizens every day against the current average of 12,500 citizens.

6. In order to take action against unmasked travellers on the Western, Central and Harbour Suburban Railway services in Mumbai, a total of 300 marshals will be deployed (100 marshals on each line).

7. The Mumbai police are now being empowered to take action against unmasked citizens. The police can also act as marshals by imposing fines on the violators.

8. MCGM teachers will be deployed at all buildings, offices, hospitals etc. managed by MCGM with powers to take punitive action against those roaming without masks.

9. In order to monitor all places of worship, women marshals will also be deployed along with male marshals. Roaming without a mask, gathering of more than 50 people at a time or any such violation will lead to punitive action.

10. Action will also be taken against those found in playgrounds and parks without masks.

11. In Municipal wards with rising number of COVID-19 cases, action should be taken on the lines of Mission Zero. Area mapping should be done in order to test maximum number of people in such wards. In addition, at least 15 close contacts per COVID-positive patient should be tracked and kept in isolation.

12. In slums, narrow settlements, densely populated areas, health check-up camps should be organized with the help of NGOs to identify suspects. In addition, patient search should be continued through mobile clinics with emphasis on testing.

13. COVID Care Centre 1 (CCC1) for High Risk Contacts and COVID Care Centre 2 (CCC2) for Asymptomatic patients – at least one of either centers shall be kept functional in each ward.

14. Municipal Commissioner also mentioned that there should be adequate availability of regular and oxygen beds at Jumbo COVID Centres.

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The daily number of Covid-19 cases, however, has risen to 1,000, from the range of 500 earlier this month before Diwali.

“In the past 15 days, the testing has gone up, and we have also witnessed a little surge in the daily cases being reported. With the increase in testing, we will have to wait and watch at least till December 15 to understand better the post-

A milestone of more than 14.13 crore COVID-19 tests have been conducted in India so far. While the cumulative positivity rate stands at 6.69%, average daily positivity rate in the last week has been 3.72%. In the month of November, 2020, more than 10.55 lakh tests were conducted daily, while on an average 43,152 new cases were reported daily and 47,159 persons recovered daily. This has been stated by Shri Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in course of a media briefing on the actions taken, preparedness and updates on COVID-19, held at National Media Centre, New Delhi today. The Health Secretary further remarked, “In the month of November 2020, the number of recoveries has been more than the number of new cases. As a result, the number of active cases in the country is continuously declining.”

Shri Bhushan further briefed, India still figures among the countries having lowest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths per million population. In the last 7 days, 211 cases and 2 deaths per million population have occurred in the country. Over the last three weeks, a continuous decline in cumulative positivity rate has been seen. A decline in daily new cases is also continuing. This apart, the website ‘Our World in Data’ stated that, in the period between September 1 – November 29, 2020, India has been ahead of countries like Russia, France and UK, in terms of the number of COVID-19 tests conducted.

The Health Secretary also informed that the top 5 states that have shown a decline in active cases during the last month (Nov 1-Dec 1, 2020) are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. The top 5 states showing a rise in active cases in the same period are Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.

Stating these facts, the Health Secretary once again appealed to all to follow the COVID Appropriate Behaviours of wearing a mask, washing hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitizer, following physical distancing norms and getting tested and isolated on developing any symptom.

In reply to a media query, the Health Secretary informed, most of the trials, related to vaccines and drugs, are multi-centric, multi-site. Each site has an Institutional Ethics Committee, which is independent of the Government or the manufacturer. In case of any adverse event, this Committee takes note and gives its report within a period of 30 days to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). This apart, the Data Safety Monitoring Board, consisting of domain knowledge experts, monitors the clinical trials on a day-to-day basis and keeps an eye on adverse events and reports it to the DCGI, who then analyses all reports to find out whether there is a one-to-one co-relation between the adverse event and vaccination. The DG of ICMR, Prof. (Dr.) Balram Bhargava added, it is the role of the DCGI, after collating all the data, to ascertain or refute whether there is a causal link to the event. This is done on a scientific basis. The initial causality assessment did not necessitate stoppage of these clinical trials, stated the DG, ICMR.

In reply to a query on whether those who have already had COVID-19 and developed anti-bodies need to be vaccinated, the Health Secretary stated, National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration is also mandated to decide whether people who have already developed anti-bodies, will be vaccinated. Many countries and scientific communities are still discussing it and no final decision on this matter has been arrived at, he informed.

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