MUMBAI: The Mumbai civic body has decided to convert the Jaslok Hospital here into a dedicated facility only for COVID-19 patients in the wake of a huge spike in cases of the viral infection in the city.
According to a circular issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday, the Jaslok Hospital will no longer admit non-COVID-19 patients and instructions to this effect have been issued to the hospital's management.
It is the first prominent private hospital to be declared as a dedicated COVID-19 facility in the city since the second wave of the coronavirus here, BMC sources said.
The civic body has directed the hospital to discharge all stable patients, admitted in its non-COVID-19 wards, who do not require tertiary care.
The hospital has also been asked to transfer the non-COVID-19 patients requiring tertiary care to nearby facilities within 48 hours.
"All patients admitted for elective surgeries to be discharged by postponing the elective surgeries," reads the BMC's order.
According to the BMC, the hospital was treating COVID-19 patients with advanced critical care since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.
On Wednesday, Mumbai recorded 9,925 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 5,44,942, while 54 more patients succumbed to the infection, according to the civic body.
Meanwhile, amid fears of a complete lockdown in Maharashtra, a heavy rush of passengers was witnessed at Mumbai's Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) for boarding trains on Thursday.
The Railway administration, including Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), and local police, however, managed to control the crowd in coordination with ticket checking staff and only valid ticket holders were allowed to enter the station.
According to the Railway Administration, some people tried to enter the railway station with fake stickers and false identity cards but Railway and police staff stopped them from entering the station and boarding trains by checking their tickets and ID cards before their entry to Terminus building.
Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, trains at Mumbai's Lokmanya Tilak Terminus were earlier seen packed with migrant workers as they feared an impending lockdown.
Due to a sharp rise in COVID cases, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday imposed Section 144 in the state from April 14 till May 1. The curbs will strictly adhere between 8 pm to 7 am.
The guidelines said that cinema halls, theatres, auditoriums, amusement parks, gyms, sports complexes will remain closed till Section 144 is imposed in the state. Local train and bus services will be allowed for essential services only and hotels and restaurants will allow only take-away home deliveries. Petrol pumps, financial institutions associated with SEBI, and construction work will continue.
(With ANI Inputs)