India records first Covid-19 infection in Asia’s largest slum

Local authorities in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, have confirmed that a 56-year-old man in Dharavi slum, which is home to more than a million people, has tested positive for Covid-19.

Indian media reports from earlier this morning say that the man has died

– but we don’t have official confirmation of this yet.

Officials have sealed the building he lived in and have quarantined seven family members.

The slum lies in the centre of Mumbai on prime property. A city within a city, it is one unending stretch of narrow lanes, open sewers and cramped huts.

Experts have pointed out that while social distancing is crucial – it remains near impossible in heavily congested areas like the Dharavi slum. Residents here often share overcrowded quarters and so the choice to stand two metres apart isn’t a realistic option.

This has spurred concerns over the potential impact as tracking the virus in such a crowded and congested area will prove challenging.