QMumbai: Fewer Passengers on Local Trains; Sub-Standard Masks Sold

Catch up on the top stories from Mumbai.

1. BEST, Railways See Drop in Passenger Count Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) buses witnessed its lowest passenger turnout on a working day this year. Monday saw 28.05 lakh commuters, and since then, the passenger turnout has dropped by close to two lakh. On Tuesday, about 26.15 lakh commuters took BEST buses. This is a 16 percent drop as compared to the passengers who travelled on 2 March, which was a working Tuesday.

There was a drop in passengers on both Western Railway (WR) and Central Railway (CR). Passengers on WR dropped by around eight lakh to 32.26 lakh on Tuesday, as compared to 40.75 lakh who travelled in trains on Monday. Similarly, CR saw a drop of about 10 lakh passengers, with 39 lakh travelling on Tuesday, as against 49 lakh on Monday.

(Source: The Indian Express)

2. Sub-Standard Masks Flood City’s Markets

With the rising demand, sub-standard masks made by local manufacturers and tailors in places such as Dharavi, Sion, Bandra and Thane are flooding the market.

Surgical face masks are made with non-woven fabric, which has better bacteria filtration and air permeability, while remaining less slippery than woven cloth. The material most commonly used to make them is polypropylene, either 20 or 25 grams per square metre (gsm) in density. “The masks recommended for the coronavirus are disposable surgical masks, which are made of three layers of filter and are effective in filtering out particles such as bacteria above 1 micron. But these locally made masks are of no use in controlling the transmission of the virus,” said Abhay Pandey, president of All Food and Drug License Holders Foundation. “Due to lack of knowledge, people are even buying the fake masks.”

(Source: Hindustan Times)

3. Cancer Patient Not Allowed to Enter Society

A 74-year-old Arunachal Pradesh resident was denied entry into a residential building in Mulund where he has been staying for his cancer treatment in the city, on the suspicion that he was from China, the original epicentre of the novel coronavirus.

The patient and his daughter have now been moved to Arunachal Pradesh Bhavan in Navi Mumbai.

Visiting the city for the treatment, Rinzin Dorjee and his daughter, Tsering Yangzom, last month stayed at the flat owned by the Bombay Sarvodaya Friendship Centre, a trust that provides temporary housing to outstation cancer patients.

(Source: Hindustan Times)

4. Coronavirus Outbreak: BMC Mulls Only Essential Services at Hospitals

With the coronavirus threat looming large, BMC is mulling operating only essential services in its major hospitals to prevent crowded wards and corridors.

In a proposal, the director of medical education and tertiary hospitals in BMC has proposed to the additional municipal commissioner that all routine work in hospitals be shut down to focus only emergency cases and COVID-19 patients. A decision on this will be taken in two or three days, said officials.

This would mean turning away thousands of patients daily who flock through the four major hospitals — KEM, Sion, Nair and Dr RN Cooper — located in Parel, Sion, Mumbai Central and Andheri.

(Source: The Indian Express)

5. Anti-CAA, NRC Protest Limited to 4 Hours a Day in Bhiwandi

In a bid to encourage social distancing, protesters in Bhiwandi have decided to limit their demonstration to four hours a day.

The decision was taken after police served them a notice, demanding they evacuate the protest site. The number of protesters has dropped tremendously in Bhiwandi, but in Mumbra, women from the district are still seen in high numbers to condemn the introduction of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR).

(Source: The Indian Express)