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This story is from March 26, 2020

Kin of Italy-returned Vakola man who tested positive ostracised, BMC struggles with contact tracing

The BMC is once more struggling to contact and trace the people who may have come in contact with a Covid-19 positive patient who hails from one of the congested slum areas in the western suburbs of Mumbai.
Kin of Italy-returned Vakola man who tested positive ostracised, BMC struggles with contact tracing
Picture used for representational purpose only
MUMBAI: The BMC is once more struggling to contact and trace the people who may have come in contact with a Covid-19 positive patient who hails from one of the congested slum areas in the western suburbs of Mumbai.
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On Monday, a civic public health department report stated that a 37-year-old man with a history of travel to Italy had tested positive for coronavirus.
The man, a resident of Vakola, had been working on a tourist ship in Italy, and had returned on March 18. Italy has reported more than 700 coronavirus deaths. The man's mother asked him to get tested, but his first two reports were negative for the virus.
He is currently being treated at Kasturba Hospital, said local civic ward officer A G Khairnar.
"The patient had fever initially and had got himself checked by a local doctor. His blood reports did not reflect anything. The third test showed that he is positive for coronavirus," said Khairnar.
For the last four decades, his family has resided in the Vakola slum area. Three of his family members were also asked to get themselves tested for the virus. The patient's mother, who was inconsolable, told TOI, "These are very difficult times for our family as our entire slum has begun ostracising us. They have been circulating my son's picture on WhatsApp. We have lived in this area for 40 years and never thought they would do something like this with our family."
Local corporator, Congress's Tulip Miranda said that the slum where the patient resides is spread across a large area, with almost 800 rooms.
"It is an entire lane that is congested. There are efforts being made to contact and trace those he might have interacted with. We are also coordinating with the authorities to ensure the spread of infection is contained," said Miranda.
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About the Author
Richa Pinto

Richa Pinto is a special correspondent with The Times of India. She covers urban governance & climate change issues. With over a decade of experience in field reporting, she has written extensively on various civic issues affecting Mumbaikars. She graduated in -journalism from the prestigious Mumbai-based St Xavier's College and later pursued a three-year Law degree (L.L.B.) with the University of Mumbai. She regularly tweets about all things that matter to Mumbai on-- @richapintoi.

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