Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Deputy Municipal Commissioner Shirish Dixit has died of the Coronavirus infection. He died at his home today. The chief engineer in the water facility department of BMC was 55-years-old.
Maharashtra, which recorded 2,259 new Coronavirus cases and120 deaths remains the worst-hit State within the country accounting for 88,528 confirmed COVID-19 cases chased by Tamil Nadu (33,229) and Delhi (29,943).

Mumbai claims 50,085 cases alone. Active cases within the city are at 26,345 while the toll stands at 1,702. After Mumbai, Thane reported the foremost number of cases at 13,528 with active cases at 8,110 and total deaths at 336. The recovery rate within the state is 46.28% while the death rate is at 3.57%.

Earlier today, the BMC made amendments to the circular of extension of lockdown and revised guidelines on the measures to be taken with reference to easing of the restrictions and phase-wise opening of lockdown. As per new guidelines, shops are going to be allowed to remain open for full working hours, for 6 days every week, apart from market complexes and malls. However, shops will remain closed on Sundays.

Recently, BMC employees’ union demanded dedicated hospital beds be allotted for the civic staff, following a flurry of complaints about difficulty in finding hospital beds for coronavirus-afflicted staffers. The union has claimed that thanks to a shortage of beds there are instances where civic employees, who are at the frontline of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, have had to attend for hours and in many cases take admission at hospitals outside the BMC’s limits.
So far, quite 1,500 civic employees — healthcare staff, engineers, workers from the conservancy department, on Coronavirus-related duties — are infected by the virus, while 25 have succumbed owing to the virus.

“Recently, two engineers from the K-East ward (Andheri East, Jogeshwari East), who were on COVID-19-related duties, were found positive of the virus. While one among them was symptomatic. They both had to wait for hospital beds for over eight to nine hours but failed. Finally, Assistant Municipal Commissioner had to use his influence and they were admitted at the Trauma Hospital in Jogeshwari,” a high ranking staff from the BMC was quoted as saying.
The official further shared that an engineer on COVID-19 duty was admitted at a hospital far away from the city in Ambernath after he contracted the disease. His wife and daughter were also tested positive later but they were admitted at two separate hospitals in Thane. “If the BMC would have made some arrangement for its frontline workers, then he wouldn't need to run hospital beds,” the official regrets.

The Municipal Engineers’ Union, too, has demanded that the civic body create a dedicated COVID-19 facility or reserve some beds within the existing treatment centers. “The civic administration should… reserve some beds for the municipal staff within the western and eastern suburbs, as most of its employees live there,” Sainath Rajyadhaksha, president of the union reportedly said.
According to the info provided by BMC till May 28, occupancy at dedicated COVID hospitals (for severe and co-morbid patients) is 96%, while at dedicated COVID health centers (for moderate cases) have 80% occupancy and ICU has 99% occupancy. In other COVID care centers (for asymptomatic and mild patients) only 13% beds are occupied, it stated.
Ramakant Bane from the municipal employees’ union said, “Every day we are becoming complaints from the frontline workers who are infected that they're not getting beds. we've suggested the civic body to start out dedicated centers for its employees.”