The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Sunday directed cooperative housing societies in Mumbai to monitor the health of their members and changed its policy related to containment zones in the city, Mumbai Mirror reported. For more than a month, Mumbai has seen India’s biggest spread of infections, with over 19,000 cases recorded so far.

In a statement, the Maharashtra Societies Welfare Association said that it is now mandatory for all the cooperative housing societies in Mumbai’s Zone 5 to screen its residents for the coronavirus, Business Today reported. A set of guidelines were also issued for the same.

The societies have to screen members and also maintain a record book of their body temperature and oxygen levels. A register of this data will be checked by the civic authority officials from time to time, according to the order. “It’s the responsibility of the CHS to maintain register in which they need to maintain the details of the body temperature and oxygen levels of each member and their families,” it said.

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New containment policy

Meanwhile, the BMC said it will be the housing society’s responsibility to maintain physical distancing in containment zones and prevent entry and exit. The chairperson and secretaries of the housing societies may be booked under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code if any resident violates the mandatory quarantine period.

The F-North ward comprising Matunga, Sion, Antop Hill, Dadar East and Wadala are already implementing the new rules. The civic body said the onus was placed on societies as the police personnel cannot supervise the entire city during the pandemic.

“You are hereby directed to inform all members of your society to maintain social distancing and follow the government directives,” an order issued by F-North ward Assistant Commissioner Gajanan Bellale read. “Further, you are also to make sure nobody leaves the society till the next order. If any violation is observed, chairman or secretary will immediately inform the authorities concerned, i.e. BMC containment officer and senior police inspector of the local police station, for the respective containment.”

Additionally, the chairperson and secretary of the buildings in containment zones have been asked to make a list of essential commodities required by the residents for 14 days. The order will be delivered to the society gate.

Mumbai has more than 2,800 containment zones, and its Covid-19 detection rate – the number of persons testing positive out of every 100 people tested – has increased from 20% on May 1 to 33% on May 11.

Also read: Mumbai claims to have enough Covid-19 beds. So why are hospitals turning patients away?