Coronavirus: BMC shares helpline number to facilitate home testing of symptomatic patients

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday launched a helpline number for symptomatic patients seeking medical advice on Coronavirus testing from home. Sharing the number on Twitter, BMC said it will connect people with approved labs so that their test samples can be collected from homes. 

In case of symptoms similar to those of pneumonia or if a person suffering from cough, cold, fever and breathlessness, they can contact the BMC on the number 022-47085085, anytime between 10 am to 7 pm to get appropriate advice from doctors. 

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BMC's helpline number

In a subsequent tweet, the BMC shared its COVID-19 Press Update, listing the number of quarantined patients, a report of isolation facilities in Mumbai, as well as the details of Coronavirus positive cases. As per the release, 418 international travellers have been quarantined in the city as of March 24, while 1,034 total admitted patients are suspected to be infected with Coronavirus. 

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BMC seeks transport for home quarantined persons

The BMC on Friday, March 20, wrote to Mumbai suburban district collector to arrange 25 non-AC buses and taxis at the airport here to ferry travellers with home quarantine stamps to their desired destinations. As per the letter, signed by BMC commissioner Praveen Pardeshi, the buses will be used to shift home quarantined persons, if their number is big enough, and destination is within 300 kilometres from Mumbai, whereas taxis will be used for distances beyond 300km.

According to the letter, the cost of such transport will have to be borne by the home quarantined person. The BMC said this arrangement was required as the number of people ordered home quarantine in Mumbai was rising and a number of rooms were falling short. The decision on arranging buses and taxis was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, a BMC official said, as several persons with home quarantine stamps were found using public transport to reach their destinations.

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