No. of containment zones reduced as cases decline
The decline in the Covid-19 cases in the Capital after the fourth wave – which was the worst so far – reflects in the number of micro containment zones too, government records showed.
For the period between May 10 and 15, Delhi had an average of around 56,000 active microcontainment zones. During this phase, Delhi had an average of 75,777 active cases, government records showed, of which around 65% were located in containment zones.
On May 31, the number of micro-containment zones in the city fell to 19,677. Of the 12,901 total active cases recorded on that date, 9,924 (77%) were located in containment zones, said a report prepared by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), a copy if which HT has seen.
Containment zones are sealed premises or areas with restricted physical access. They are put under scaled up surveillance by district teams. A more intense monitoring system applies to cases in containment zones as against general home isolation, with periodic tests of other residents. Essential goods are delivered to their doorstep. Containment zones can be de-notified
only after 14 days of not recording any new case at a stretch.
Initially, the city used to have much larger containment zones – entire lanes and blocks, which government officials said led to a large number of complaints from people who were not affected by the virus and still had to bear the brunt of restrictions on free movement and economic activities. Back then, most containment zones had 10 or more active cases and 300 residents on average. And they could be de-notified after 28 days of not recording a new case.
“The old policy was difficult to implement as well as adhere to, a lot of people started providing incorrect addresses while getting tested for Covid-19 fearing that if they tested positive, it could lead to a containment zone in their locality. The micro-containment
zone strategy has largely resolved these problems,” said a senior government official who did not wish to be identified.
In November, each containment zone in Delhi on average had three active cases. Currently, each of them on average has 1.98 active cases, said government data – suggesting Delhi has travelled a decent distance in terms of aggressively creating micro containment units from the point this strategy was adopted.
Dr Lalit Kant, former head of the division of epidemiology and communicable diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said: “Microcontainment has been a very effective strategy in terms of arresting the spread of the disease. The government should continue with this strategy each time there is an uptick in cases.”