MUMBAI: Amid a steady rise in coronavirus cases, Mumbai municipal commissioner Iqbal Chahal on Friday directed civic officials to conduct mass testing in residential buildings where infections have been found recently.
The number of daily COVID-19 tests should be increased to over 30,000 from the current 8,000 tests, as the rate of infection has reached 8 per cent which is a warning sign, he told the officials.
The city reported 763 cases on Friday.
Chahal held a video conference with civic officials alongwith Maharashtra government's Covid task force member Dr Sanjay Oka earlier in the day, said a release issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
"Experts from IIT Kanpur have predicted that a fourth wave of COVID-19 will hit in July, and their warning must be taken seriously, because their predictions about previous waves had been true. Given the recent increase in cases, the possibility of a fourth wave cannot be ruled out," the civic chief was quoted as saying in the release.
Considering the possibility of a fourth wave and waterborne diseases as the monsoon season is set to begin, the concerned offices and the departments have been asked to be prepared, the BMC said.
The commissioner also asked civic officials to ensure that medical laboratories do not give COVID-19 reports directly to any patient.
All daily reports of patients should be first sent to the civic body and strict action will be taken against testing facilities if this rule is violated, he said.