Schools shut due to lockdown, PMC plans to turn 140 of them into quarantine centres

“Many of those shifted to institutional quarantine centres oppose it as these are located far from their localities. The PMC is working on resolving the situation by setting up quarantine centresclose to the locality of patients and suspected patients,” said Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad.

The civic body has already zeroed in on 40 marriage halls and 140 schools, which will be converted into quarantine facilities. “This should enable us to keep patients from a certain locality in a quarantine facility near their area of residence… this may make them more agreeable to the idea of quarantine,” said Gaikwad.

The PMC has also started to set up swab collection centres in schools so that residents of the five ward areas, in ‘red zones’ or areas with high case prevalence, can have access to these centres easily.

The civic body is also in the process of setting up its largest facility so far — a 1,500-bed quarantine centre and Covid care centre for patients at the Shiv Chhatrapti Sports complex in Balewadi.