The Washington Post - USA (2020-08-01)

SATURDAY,AUGUST 1 , 2020 .THEWASHINGTONPOST EZ SU A

BYNIHAMASIH

newdelhi—KiranDighavkar,a

Mumbaiofficial,realizedthecor-

onaviruscouldprovedevastating

for the city’ssprawling slum of

Dharaviwhen he spent three

hourstryingtofindavacantICU

bedforaresident.Bythetimehe

found one, the patient had died.

ThatwasinApril.

In July,Dharavidrewpraise

fromtheWorldHealthOrganiza-

tion for its “aggressiveaction”in

containingthepandemic.

“There are manyexamples

from aroundthe world thathave

shownthateveniftheoutbreakis

veryintense, it can still be

brought back under control,”

WHO Director General Tedros

AdhanomGhebreyesus said at a

news conference July 10, citing

Dharavi’ssuccess along with ef-

forts by countries includingItaly

andSouthKorea.

India is third behind the Unit-

edStatesandBrazilinconfirmed

coronavirus infections, but its

newcases areclimbingat the

fastestrateinthe world, accord-

ingtoBloombergNews.ForDhar-

avitoturnacornerinthemidstof

thiscrisisisanoteworthystoryof

customizedsolutions, communi-

tyinvolvementandperseverance.

Theslum’s turnaroundoffers

bothlessonsandpromiseforoth-

erdenseneighborhoods,particu-

larly in parts of the developing

world battling the pandemic.In

mid-July,morethan1millioncas-

es were reported globallyin just

fourdays,indicatingitsaccelerat-

ingspread.

Theoddswerestackedagainst

Dharavi, one of Asia’slargest

slums. Mumbai had emerged as

thecountry’scoronavirusepicen-

ter.Hospitalswereoverwhelmed,

and in mid-June, 99 percentof

thecity’sintensivecarebedswere

occupied.

About 1million people are

packed into Dharavi’sone-

square-mile area. Most residents

depend on communitytoilets

used by thousandseveryday.In-

dia’sstrictlockdown, firstim-

posed in late March, left tens of

thousandsof the slum’s daily-

wageresidentson the vergeof

destitution.The situation made

conventional solutionssuch as

social distancing and contact

tracingimpossibletoenforce.

“Dharaviwas aticking time

bomb,”said Shivkumar Utture, a

doctor advisingthe citygovern-

ment on coronavirus measures.

“There was stigma and fear

amongthepeople.”

Cityofficialsled by Dighavkar,

the assistant municipalcommis-

sionerinchargeofDharavi,chart-

edtheirowncourse.Afteridentify-

ing five areas reporting the most

cases, theyfocused on screening

everyhouse for people with fever

orlowoxygenlevels.Localdoctors

wereenlistedtoinspireconfidence

amongresidents.

Within 10 days, 47,000 people

had been screened, and 400

symptomatic people were tested

for the virus, with 20 percent

turningout to be positive.An

additional 4,000 people,includ-

ing contacts and those with co-

morbidities,wereplacedininsti-

tutionalquarantine.

Health-carecampsweresetup

in prominentlocationsinthe

slumwherepeoplecouldwalkin

and getafreevirus test. Officials

urgeddozensofprivateclinicsin

the area to remainopen so more

cases could be detected. In turn,

the governmentprovidedthem

with protective gear and daily

sanitization.

Thewhole exercise was a“big

challenge,”saidAvaniWalke,one

oftheprivatedoctorswhovolun-

teered.Eachmorning,shewould

setoutat8a.m.,wearingpersonal

protectiveequipmentintheswel-

tering heat, to find coronavirus

cases. Forthe next five hours,

therewouldbenofoodorwater.

Intheafternoon,Walkewould

beather clinic seeing asteady

streamofpatients,manyofthem

worriedtheyhad contracted the

virus. Details of suspected cases

weresharedwiththecivicagency

for follow-upaction. Nearly five

dozen positivecases were identi-

fiedthroughherclinicalone.

“I was totally drained. By the

endofday,Ihadnostrengthtodo

anything,” said the 47-year-old

motheroftwoteenagers.

Theother critical challenge

wasbuildinghealthinfrastruc-

ture from scratch. Thegovern-

ment-run health-care facilities

inside the slum had no beds or

intensive care equipment.

Dighavkarandhisteamtookover

asports complex, apark, amar-

riagehallandprivatehospitalsto

house quarantine and treatment

facilities. On avacant lot, they

builta200-bedhospitalwithoxy-

genbeds.

Hundredsof communitytoi-

lets were sanitizedthree times a

day. Soap and water supply was

regularized.

Theefforts paid off. Thenum-

berofnewcasesinJulywasafifth

thatofMay.The recoveryrateis

over 80percent,and the number

ofactivecasesisunder100.

“Wechasedthe virus,”

Dighavkar said, “instead of wait-

ingforpeopletoreportit.”

But fightingthe virus wasn’t

the only testfacing Dharavi. A

burgeoningproblemwasitsresi-

dents’struggleforsurvivalasthe

lockdown snatched away liveli-

hoodsovernight.

Nearly 150,000workers went

back to their villages, whichre-

duced the population somewhat.

But the gap between govern-

ment’sreliefeffortsandresidents’

need remainedvast. Closing it

was afeatthe administration

could not accomplishalone. The

slum’sfame—theOscar-winning

movie“SlumdogMillionaire”was

shotinDharavi—helped.Private

donorsandnongovernmentalor-

ganizationssteppedintohelp.

LaxmiRamchandraKamble,a

reliefworkerwiththe Acorn

Foundation, said her group

helped1,500householdswithra-

tion kits through the lockdown

months.Astheeconomyreopens

and virus numbersstabilizein

Dharavi, the demandfor aid has

diminished.

“Factories and shops are grad-

ually opening,and now we are

distributing rations to only 15

personsaday,” she said. “Things

areslowlygettingbetterhere.”

WhileDharaviheavesasighof

relief, for now,fresh dangers

loom.Theongoingmonsoonsea-

son means spikes in malariaand

denguecases. Then there is the

possibilityofasecondwaveofthe

virus. Migrant workers who had

leftwillbegintoreturn.

“The situation is dynamic,”

Dighavkarsaid.“Weareontopof

things now but not letting our

guarddown.”

[email protected]

TaniaDuttacontributedto thisreport.

Packed Mumbai slum beats back virus

As casesin Indiasoar,Dharavi’soutbreakis in checkthanksto community-tailoredmeasures

THEWASHINGTONPOST

Note:Dharavi populationestimatedat 1millionresidents.

Reported casesappearto declinein Dharaviwhile

risinginIndiaoverall

Newdailycovid-19casesper 100 ,000residentsin Dharavi comparedwith

Indiaasawhole

0

2

4

6

8per 100,

residents

April 1 July

Sources: PopulationestimatesfromtheWorldBankandtheWorldEconomicForum.Case

countsfromJohnsHopkinsUniversityandMunicipalCorporationof GreaterMumbai.

Dharavi

India

1 per

100k

3.6per

100k

INDRANILMUKHERJEE/AGENCEFRANCE-PRESSE/GETTYIMAGES

People whohave recovered fromthecoronaviruswaittodonatebloodplasmaat aschoolin Mumbai’s DharavionJuly23.Thecrowded
slum, hometo about1million people,tookaggressive stepsincludingsendingdoctorsdoor-to-doortoscreen residentsforthe virus.

BYHAQNAWAZKHAN

ANDSUSANNAHGEORGE

peshawar, pakistan — The

brazen killingof an American

standingtrial for blasphemyin

Pakistan has sparked renewed

pressureon Islamabadto reform

controversiallaws thathuman

rights groupssaytarget minori-

ties.

Tahir Naseem, 57,ofIllinois

was on trial in the Pakistani city

of Peshawar for claimingto be a

prophet.EarlyWednesday, aman

walkedintothecity’sbusycentral

courtroomandshotNaseemmul-

tipletimesatcloserange.

Video of the killing,widely

circulated on social media,

showed police restraining the

gunmanas Naseem layinapool

of blood on the floor justafew

feetaway. Theman could be

heard saying thatthe prophet

Muhammadtold him to kill Na-

seeminadream.

“Heisthe enemyofIslam ...

the enemyofPakistan,”the gun-

mansaid.

InamUllahYousafzai,alawyer

who was in the courtroom, said

thatafter killing Naseem, the

gunmanplaced his pistol on a

table and surrenderedto police.

Anotherlawyer present at the

courtremarkedonhowdifficultit

would be to bring aweapon into

the building.The courthouse is

heavily guarded,with multiple

securitysearches and check-

points thatanyone who wants to

entermustpassthrough.

Thesuspectwas broughtbe-

fore acourttoface possibleter-

rorism and murder charges

Thursday.

ThePakistaniForeignMinistry

said in astatement that“the

alleged killer has been arrested

andaspecialteamconstitutedto

investigate the case.”Itpledged

that“thematterwillbedealtwith

in accordancewith the law” and

that constitutional rights and

protections would be “fully en-

forcedandimplemented.”

Apolice reportidentified the

suspectonlyasFaisal, son of

Abdullah,andaresidentofPesha-

war’s Gulabadneighborhood.

TheU.S.StateDepartmentsaid

Naseem was aU.S.citizen and

called in atweetfor “immediate

action”inresponsetohiskilling.

Cale Brown,aState Depart-

mentspokesman,saidtheUnited

StateshadworkedwithNaseem’s

familysincehisdetentionin

and alerted senior Pakistani offi-

cials to his case “toprevent the

type of shameful tragedy that

eventuallyoccurred,”according

to astatement. Brown said Paki-

stan’s blasphemylawsare often

abusedand demandedthatthey

bereformed.

Pakistan’s blasphemylaws

havelongbeenthetargetoffierce

criticismfrom international hu-

man rights groups,which have

demandedtheir repeal.Human

Rights Watch has reported that

the laws “provideapretext for

violenceagainstreligiousminori-

ties, as well as arbitraryarrests

andprosecution.”

Anyone found guiltyofinsult-

ing Islam can be sentencedto

death,andallegationsofblasphe-

my have triggered violentriots.

Blasphemyallegationshaveledto

extrajudicial murders, rights

groupssay. Butwhile manyin-

mates are on death row for blas-

phemyinPakistan, the country

has never carriedout adeath

sentenceinthosecases.

Most of thoseaccused of blas-

phemy,likeNaseem,belongtothe

Ahmadiaminoritygroup,which

is viewed by manyMuslims in

Pakistanasheretical.

Hours after the news of Na-

seem’s killingwas reported by

local media, ahashtag began

trendingonsocialmediapraising

the gunmanas ahero. Many of

those promotingthe hashtagde-

scribedthemselvesasTaliban

sympathizers.

Arelative of Naseem’s ex-wife

inPakistansaidthatwhenhewas

living outsidePeshawar,hesur-

vived multipleTaliban assassina-

tionattempts.

Therelative, Amjad Ali, said

Naseem’s beliefs quicklybecame

controversialin the small village

helivedinbeforehemovedtothe

United States. Naseem’s wifedi-

vorced him in 2008 shortly after

theirmarriage,andNaseem’s rel-

atives began receiving death

threats, ultimately forcingthem

toselltheirpossessionsandleave,

accordingtoAli.

“Now he has no one in the

village,”Alisaid.

In oneofPakistan’s mostre-

cent high-profile blasphemycas-

es,anilliteratewoman,AsiaBibi,

was charged and imprisonedon

death row for eight years before

shewasacquittedandeventually

sought asylum in Canada last

year.Her release sparked violent

riots, and she continuedto re-

ceive death threats from Islamist

extremists even after fleeingto

Canada.

[email protected]

GeorgereportedfromKabul.

Killing of American

in Pakistan prompts

fresh criticism of laws

BILAWALARBAB/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK

Anambulancetransports thebodyofU.S.citizen TahirNaseem

afterhe wasshot deadin acourtroominPeshawar,Pakistan.

Naseemhadbeenontrialfor claimingtobeaprophet.

BYKATECHAPPELL

kingston, jamaica—Jamaica’s
high court ruled Fridaythata
school was within its rights to
demandthatagirlcutherdread-
lockstoattend classes, asurprise
decisionthattouchedonissuesof
identityand one the most recog-
nizable symbols of the island’s
Rastafarianculture.
Theruling by the Supreme
CourtofJamaicacappedatwo-
year battle after the girl —then
yearsold—wastoldshemustcut
herdreadlocks for “hygiene”rea-
sons to study at Kensington Pri-
marySchoolinaKingstonsuburb.
Arights group, Jamaicans for
Justice, had initiallylent support
tothefamily,sayingtheorderfor
the girl to cuther dreadlocks
amountedadenialofherfreedom

ofexpression and her access to

education.

Others viewed the courtbattle

as astand against rules seen as

discrimination againstpeople

who wear“natural”hair,includ-

ingRastafarians whosedread-

locksare part of their religious

tradition.

Thegirl and her parents, Dale

andSherineVirgo,whobothwear

dreadlocks, plan to appeal, said

theirlawyer,IsatBuchanan.

“Iwillnotbecuttingmydaugh-

ter’s hair,” Sherine Virgosaid im-

mediatelyaftertheruling.“Ifthey

give me thatultimatum again, I

willbemovingher.”

Virgo’sdaughter—now7years

oldandidentifiedincourtpapers

onlyasZbecausesheisaminor—

wasattendingclassesattheschool

after the courts deliveredanin-

junction against the Ministryof

Education,allowing hertogoto

schoolwithherdreadlocksintact.

When the school closed this

springbecauseofthecoronavirus

pandemic, the girl was home-

schooled.

“Iammorethansurprised.Itis

mostunfortunate,”Buchanan

said.“Itisamostunfortunateday

forBlackpeopleandforRastafari-

anpeopleinJamaica.”

Thegirl’s father called the rul-

inganothersignof“systemicrac-

ism.”

“A childwasrefusedbecauseof

her Black hair,you know?” said

DaleVirgo.“It’ssoweirdthatright

now in the current climate of the

world,in2020,wearehavingpro-

tests,andBlackpeoplearefedup.

“This is an opportunitythe Ja-

maicangovernmentandthelegal

systemhad to rightthese wrongs

and lead the world and makea

change,” he continued. “But they

have decided to keep the same

system.”

Thejudgmentwasdeliveredin

asmall courtroom populated

mainly by lawyers and the girl’s

parents.

Theministerofeducation,Karl

Samuda,declinedtocommenton

theruling,whichcameontheeve

of EmancipationDay,celebrated

inJamaicaandelsewheretomark

the end of slaveryinthe British

Empire.

“I’mverycautiousaboutwhere

Itread,” he said, “especially on a

sensitive enough subjectlike

that.”

Verene Shepherd, director of

the Center for Reparation Re-

search at theUniversityofthe

West Indies, saidthe Ministryof

Education is debating issuesof

student clothing and hairstyles,

includingdreadlocks.

TheVirgossaytheydonotiden-

tifyasRastafarian, but theysay

thatwearing dreadlocks is an ex-

pressionoftheiridentity.AllVirgo

familymemberswearthatnatural

hairstyle, as do manyJamaicans

whoidentifyasRastafarian.

Though Rastafarians account

foronlyabout2percentofJamai-

ca’spopulation, the movement

hasanoutsize influenceinthe

culture.Madepopularbyperhaps

theworld’smostfamousRastafar-

ian,BobMarley,itisapoliticaland

religious movement thatwas

foundedin the 1930s, drawing

from African, Revivalistand

Christiantraditions.

Despiteits popularity, Rasta-

farians,andpeoplewhowearnat-

uralhair,stillfacediscrimination

inJamaica.

Some schools, including Kens-

ington Primary, explicitlystate

thatdreadlocksare not allowed,

and other schools have banned

studentswho refuse to cutthem.

In thewakeofthe challenge, the

MinistryofEducation issued

guidelines for hairstyles, includ-

ing adirective thatifchildren

wear dreadlocks, theymustbe

“neat.”

“Ingeneral, Ithink thatdis-

crimination on the grounds of

hairstyle is wrong,” Shepherd

said. “I do not think our children

who are Rastafari andwho ex-

presstheir culturethrough their

hair should be discriminated

against.”

[email protected]

School can ban dreadlocks, Jamaica’s high court rules

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