When Coronavirus making its presence in every major city, Mumbai remained virus-free for almost three months and eleven days its outbreak in China’s Wuhan, until Wednesday when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) confirmed two positive cases of COVID-19 in the city. A couple from Andheri (West), aged 69 and 70, who travelled to Dubai this month have been quarantined in the isolation ward of Kasturba Hospital at Chinchpokli. With new case in Nagpur, the number of coronavirus cases rose to 11 in Maharashtra.

They were in a group of 40 that went on a tour of Dubai and Abu Dhabi with travellers from Mumbai, Pune, Beed, Ahmednagar and Nagpur. On March 9, a couple from Pune, who were fellow travellers, were tested positive for COVID-19 and were shifted to isolation at Pune’s civic-run Naidu Infectious Diseases Hospital. BMC and other civic bodies were promptly alerted upon this finding.

Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner, BMC, reveals there were six people from Mumbai and the concerned health officers were immediately instructed to track them down. All of them were brought to the hospital on Tuesday evening and put in isolation. A senior citizen couple aged 69 and 70 were tested positive while the other four were tested negative.

Both seniors showed up very mild symptoms and are recuperating and the other four who were tested negative are told to remain at home for at least two weeks as a precaution.

Another 10 more people in the team were suspected to be carrying the virus and were admitted to Kasturba Hospital on Wednesday. Their test results are expected in a day or two.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday assured that the condition of the 11 people who have so far tested positive for COVID-19 across Maharashtra is stable, and that an alert has been sounded at airports and ports to increase monitoring of passengers.

Thackeray also said that the budget session would likely be wrapped up latest by Sunday owing to the outbreak. Maharashtra has not decided on shutting schools yet. The State is also told that IPL matches can be held without any spectators but Maharashtra has not got any official confirmation from the organisers yet.

Further, Thackeray appealed to citizens to not panic, saying the state was prepared to tackle the pandemic.