Jitendra Awhad

Kalwa-Mumbra Assembly constituency

Maharashtra Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad goes into self-quarantine 01:32

Thane Civil and Horizon Hospital

Life in a lockdown: Mumbai slows down to fight Covid19 1 11 Masks now a constant Masks have been made mandatory for stepping out. Cases have also been filed against those who don't wear masks. Social distancing is supposed to be a norm in this lockdown that's now extended till April 30 in Maharashtra. But there have been times when people have forgotten all about it even as they step out to buy groceries. Mirror photographers bring you a slice of life from Mumbai in these times of the lockdown forced by the coronavirus outbreak. Photo by Nilesh Wairkar/ MMCL Bed of Flowers No luxury this, but this solitary man taking a nap on the road on a bed of flowers, as it were, is one of the many ironies of this lockdown. It's at once poignant in so many ways and yet brings to the fore the hardships that people face and the many unknown challenges that lie ahead. Photo by Nilesh Wairkar/ MMCL A peacock named Don This resident of Juhu is out and about in the lockdown. With no humans around, this peacock is making the most of the empty roads and bylanes of Juhu. Locals say it is a resident of Juhu. They also have a name for it - Don. Wonder if another famous neighbour of Juhu (Amitabh Bachchan, in case you are wondering) may have had something to do with the inspiration behind the name. Photo by Satyajit Desai/ MMCL Waiting for ration in Wadala As a number of areas in the city see cases increasing, there is an increase in the number of containment zones as well. Shop timings in these areas are restricted. Police presence is usually heavy with regular patrolling. Maharashtra government has maintained that essential supplies will be made available and will not be stopped. Shops will also be open for groveries and vegetables, provided social distancing is maintained. Photo by Sachin Haralkar/ MMCL Carefree run A carefree run without worrying about the invisible and lethal coronavirus is a thought that many would give and arm and leg for in these times of the lockdown. Photo by Satyajit Desai/ MMCL Out on patrol duty In Thane, one senior inspector tested positive and 35 other police personnel were quarantined since they had come in contact with the said officer. Maharashtra's Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad went into self-quarantine since he had also interacted with the police inspector who had tested positive. Every day, thousands of police personnel are risking their lives to keep law and order in check in the city at great personal risk, doing their jobs. This photo was taken in Sangam Nagar, Wadala. Photo by Sachin Haralkar/ MMCL Shower before you step in Mobile disinfectants have been placed at multiple places in the city, from police stations to the offices of the BMC. Here in Kandivali, a residential society has installed this disinfection shower. Photo by Nilesh Wairkar/ MMCL What happened to social distancing? This photo was taken on Sunday, April 12. It's hard to tell that this was in a locality that is also part of the lockdown that the whole country was under for 21 days, before Maharashtra decided to extend it by another two weeks. This is the Khar market in the east. Photo by Satish Malavade/ MMCL A crowded Khar East Market on Sunday The masks are the only telltale signs that this was during a lockdown. This photo was taken on Sunday, April 12. There was no sign though of anyone following norms of social distancing to keep the coronavirus at bay. Mumbai has seen 100 COVID-19 deaths just from the city. Maharashtra continues to be the state with the highest number of Covid patients in India. Photo by Satish Malavade/ MMCL Stocking up With essential shops open and police appealing to people to reduce the number of trips they make to these stores, residents are stocking up on food supplies. With APMC also announcing that the wholesale markets will be shut, after one trader tested positive, many are afraid supplies would be hit. Photo by Satyajit Desai/ MMCL Camp for migrants in Versova The nationwide lockdown hit migrant workers hard. On the one hand, many of them, daily wage earners, lost their jobs and were dealt a double blow as public transport was shut. Many simply chose to start walking in the direction of home, even though they knew it would take them many days to reach. With district and state borders shut, migrants were stranded. The government has set up shelters where they are provided with food. Many non governmental organisations have also come forward to feed the migrants. Photo by Nilesh Wairkar/ MMCL

They include five bodyguards, cook; minister tests negative but goes into self-quarantine.Fourteen people with whom Maharashtra Minister for Housinghad come in close contact tested positive for Covid-19 in Thane on Monday. They include five bodyguards and a cook. Although the minister, who represents, has tested negative, he decided to go into self-quarantine for 14 days.The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) officials said that the people who tested positive included a TV journalist from Thane, his cameraman, three constables from a police station and NCP workers.According to the officials, prima facie, it appears that these people contracted the virus from a senior inspector who had earlier tested positive.With the new cases, the total number of people testing positive in Thane has reached 76.The TMC officials said after the senior police inspector tested positive, they started reaching all his high-risk contacts.After conducting a rigorous screening, on Monday 30 people were found to be positive in Thane and Mumbra.Awhad and his family members, including his wife and daughter, tested negative.The contacts who tested positive were immediately taken to Horizon Hospital in Thane West.“I have home quarantined myself. I was doing good work of distribution of food packets among the poor, and am worried that it will get affected,” said Awhad.“All my people will be taken good care of. I am in touch with the authorities concerned in this regard,” he said.NCP workers said that Awhad was distributing food in Mumbra, Kalwa and Diva areas, and the work is bound to get affected.After a senior inspector had tested positive, 35 constables had gone into quarantine. Of these, three have tested positive.The senior inspector, who had returned to his home in Nashik after feeling unwell on April 7, later tested positive for Covid-19.“Today, Thane has reported 30 positive cases, taking the total number of patients to 78. They have been admitted in. A TV journalist and a cameraman have also tested positive,” said Sandeep Malvi, deputy commissioner of TMC.Malvi said TMC was continuously establishing contacts with the suspected cases to make sure that nobody was missed.He said the TMC has appealed to people to come forward if they came in contact with those found positive.Several reporters were tested for the virus as some of the cases had visited the press room of TMC.Some of the journalists had visited Mumbra with the minister and met the senior inspector concerned several times.“We have been taking swab samples of journalists and social workers from the minister’s constituency,” said a TMC official.