Corona Virus is here to stay, and we cannot just wish it away. With the 3^rd lock-down in operation now, while many relaxations have been given to places across India, the actual impact of these relaxations is minimal as a large swath of population resides in the red zones.

Amongst the worst affected, the city of Mumbai is a unique case in many ways as it has many pockets of extremely high-density population where preventing the spread of virus is a daunting challenge.

While the authorities are doing all they can to stem the spread, the biggest challenge the state faces is how to open up the city, whenever it decides to do so.

Mumbai runs on its local trains and without trains Mumbai will remain in virtual lock down, even if the state were to remove the lock-down. However, when the trains are restarted they will be, without a doubt, packed as sardines as before. Physical/social distancing in such a scenario is simply unthinkable.

While any opening up of the lock-down will result in increase in the number of infected people, not being able to control the density of people travelling in trains (and at railway stations) is an invitation to disaster. But how can we open up Mumbai in a manner that reduces the risk of spread of the contagion substantially.

I present below my thoughts on how to stagger (and restrict) the movement of people across Mumbai.

Transport & Movement

1 All movement/services permitted during the 2^nd lockdown (14^st April to 3^rd May) will remain permitted.

2. No public movement will be permitted from 9PM to 6AM except for purchase of medicines.

3. Trains and buses to ply only Monday to Saturday. First trip to originate not before 5:30AM and no new trip will begin after 7:30PM at the origin stations/stops. Special arrangements for ferrying of essential govt. and health care staff etc., as during the lockdown, will continue to be permitted.

4. All taxies, auto-rickshaws and private four-wheel vehicles will be allowed to operate from Monday to Saturday between 6AM and 9PM, with only a driver and a maximum of two passengers in the rear seat. No passenger is allowed to sit next to the driver. Two wheelers will be allowed with a single pillion rider. Wearing of masks by all, drivers and passengers, is a must.

Working Days & Number of Employees

1. All shops and establishments, other than those requiring continuous processing and those that were permitted to operate during the lockdown, will operate only from Monday to Saturday.

2. All establishments/businesses that primarily use IT infrastructure to function must restrict the physical presence of staff in offices to a maximum of 33%. Rest of the staff should be allowed to work from home. For staff that are identified to be physically present in offices, preference should be given to those who commute by their own vehicles (to reduce the congestion in public transport).

3. All establishments, other than those at 2 above, will restrict the staff physically present to not more than 50% of their total individual establishment strength. They are free to roster the staff as required within the limit prescribed.

Working Hours

1. The total working hours of each establishment will be restricted to a maximum of 6 hours per day. The working hours of all the establishments will be staggered in various time slots as follows –

a. All establishments, other than shops, will work within the following five time slots. The applicable slot will be decided by the last digit of their establishment license number.

b. Similarly all shops, other than in the malls, will open only for 5 hours, Monday to Saturday, as per the following slots based on the last digit of their shop license number.

The restriction of 50% of staff is applicable to shops too. Barbers/Salons/Spas, massage parlours and beauty parlours will remain closed. Cinema halls, banquet halls and public places like gardens, parks etc. will remain closed.

c. Malls will be allowed to open only between 11AM to 6PM. All shops can open simultaneously. However, food courts will remain closed. The restriction of 50% of staff is applicable to shops too. Loitering of people in the malls should not be permitted. Malls may consider switching off the air-conditioning in the corridors, if feasible, to discourage free riders.

d. All restaurants and cafes etc. will be allowed to open between 10AM to 6PM. Only 50% staff will be allowed. The seating capacity must be reduced to 50% and physical distancing must be ensured.

e. Home delivery of milk and newspapers must be completed by 7:30AM.

f. Banks, Post Offices and Courier companies will be allowed to operate between 10AM to 4PM at 50% of the regular staff strength. Banks/Post Offices will have the option to restrict passbook updation requests to only between 6^th and 24^th day of the month, to reduce the rush at the counters during salary/pension payment days.

(Note: Dept. of post should consider waiving of affixing of stamp on letters dropped in the letter boxes, for the lowest weight slab, for the next three months. This will reduce the queues at the post offices.

2. Large establishments, those with more than 250 employees and those running in multiple shifts (other than those who restrict the staff to 33%) will submit their plans for staggering the employee count physically required on the premises and their arrangements for movement to/from establishments, to the appropriate municipal authority for approval. They must adhere to conditions specified in the approved plan.

Preventive Measures

Each establishment and individual must take adequate measures for physical distancing and sanitation requirements. Further, adequate screening procedures should be in place to identify people likely to be infected.

a. Everyone leaving their homes must wear masks/covers, whether homemade or manufactured, while in public. All public facing employees at all the shops and establishments must wear masks. All other employees also should be encouraged to wear masks at all times. Masks must be worn properly so that both nose and mouth are covered at all times.

b. All visitors to the premises, including employees, must be screened for fever by using thermal scanners. Large establishments such as railway stations, airport, malls, large super-markets (stand-alone) and all establishments with more than 500 employees/walk-ins must deploy advanced technology mass screening devices for detecting people with signs of fever. Entry to people suspected to having fever must be denied. All those displaying signs of fever, incl. the employees, must be counselled to seek immediate medical advice and must self-isolate at home.

c. All residential complexes with more than 100 residents must screen each incoming person, including residents, for fever using thermal scanners. People showing signs of fever (other than residents) must be denied entry to the premises. All those displaying signs of fever, incl. the residents, must be counselled to seek immediate medical advice and must self-isolate at home.

d. A team of health officials must be stationed at each petrol pump to screen the occupants of each vehicle coming for fuel top-up. All those displaying signs of fever should be counselled to seek immediate medical advice and must self-isolate at home. Their personal details and the details of the vehicle must be recorded for further follow-up action.

These are some of my personal thoughts on how we can re-open Mumbai, relatively safely. This has no official sanction. In fact these thoughts are laid-out without having adequate knowledge of the processes and complexities on the ground. However, to me they appear to be significant mitigating steps.

As already stated, whenever the lockdown is lifted, the virus is bound to spread more. However, Mumbai or any other city for that matter, cannot be locked down forever. The success of these mitigating measures may result in stemming the increase in infection to a manageable number.

It goes without saying that these measures form a general template that will be equally useful for any other large city currently grappling with managing the spread of the virus.

Post Script:  It is also very important that all religious places remain closed for the time being. All religions permit praying from home.