COVID-19 outbreak: Is Mumbai turning into India's New York City?

By:

Priyata Brajabasi

The financial capital of India - Mumbaihas become the biggest hotspot of the novel coronavirus in the country. Mumbai alone has more than 5,500 COVID-19 cases out of the close to 29,500 cases reported in India.

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Twenty-four per cent of the deaths in India have occurred in Mumbai. The city also accounts for about 27 per cent of the cases in the country.

Every seventh case of COVID-19 in India has been coming from Mumbai and every fourth death in India is also happens to be from the financial hub.

The trajectory seems all too familiar compared to another city that has become a COVID-19 epicenter in the world - New York.

While the COVID-19 situation in Mumbai is far less grave when compared to New York, Mumbai could become as serious for India as New York did for the US if the trajectory of cases is anything to go by.

Mumbai currently has a mortality rate of 3.9 per cent, higher than India's average mortality rate which stands at 3.2 per cent. New York has a mortality rate of 7.7 per cent significantly higher than the country's mortality rate which stands at 5.6 per cent.

So why has Mumbai become a hotspot for the virus in India? The answer to that question lies in its similarities with New York.

Mumbai, like New York in the United States, is one of the most densely populated cities in India. At least 73,000 people reside in Mumbai per square mile. In New York City there are 28,000 people per square mile

Mumbai is the financial capital of the country just like New York City for the United States with both cities the melting pots of people from across the country. The cosmopolitan nature of the two cities attracts people of different races, cultures and economic backgrounds.

Mumbai is the home of the entertainment industry which once again brings people from across the country to make it their home. New York too is the cultural hub of United States. It is the home of broadway theatre, arts, and museums both are major tourist destinations. New York sees a footfall of about 60 million tourists every year. Mumbai too hosts close to 10 million tourists per year.

Another aspect of why COVID-19 has had such an outbreak in the two cities is because both New York and Mumbai are heavily dependent on their public transportation for commuting with more than 8 million people riding the Mumbai local trains every day.

New York too sees almost 5 million people ride the subways on a daily bases. New York reported its first coronavirus death on March 11 and incidentally, Mumbai reported its first case on the same day. Mumbai's first death took place on March 17, according to experts Mumbai could be 29 days behind New York if trajectories are to be believed.

New York City, of course, has had a far bigger outbreak of more than 160,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 12,200 deaths although the Maharashtra government has enforced a very strict lockdown in Mumbai to control the outbreak if Mumbai isn't careful, it too could become a massive breeding ground for the virus that has now claimed more than 200,000 deaths across the world.