Some states look beyond colour-coding
RAIPUR/RANCHI/HYDERABAD: Colour-coding of zones based on the prevalence of coronavirus disease cases is losing relevance in several states that are primarily focusing on containment areas instead to contain the infection, according to local officials.
For example, authorities in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Punjab, West Bengal and Jharkhand have decided against identifying red zone districts in the fourth phase of the lockdown that began on May 18 with the Centre relaxing norms to help businesses open after an unprecedented lockdown.
In the latest lockdown guidelines by the home ministry, states have been given the power to define red, orange and green zones that have been instrumental in the strategy for imposing area-specific curbs in the previ15 ous phase of curbs between May 4 and May 17. While stricter curbs were implemented in red zones, orange zones got several relaxations. The rules were significantly eased for green zones.
“Under the new guidelines, States and Union Territories (UTs) will now delineate Red, Green and Orange zones taking into consideration the parameters shared by the Health Ministry,” the government said on May 17. These zones can be a district, or a municipal corporation, or even smaller administrative units such as sub-divisions.
Earlier, it was the Centre that came out with two lists — on April and May 1 — identifying red zones (with maximum Covid-19 cases), orange zones (with fewer infections) and green zones (Covid-19-free areas), though several states expressed dismay over the process. In the first list, India had 130 red zones, while the second list identified 170 such areas.
The new guidelines added that within red and orange zones, “containment and buffer zones will be as demarcated by the local authorities, after taking into consideration the Health Ministry guidelines”.
An official in Chhattisgarh, which has identified four blocks as red zones, said: “We have gone by the central government rule, which allows just a locality or a block, instead of an entire district, to be declared a red zone,” said the official who did not want to be named. Till last week, four districts in the state were in the red zone. Now, in the four red zone blocks, Chhattisgarh has 44 containment centres, same as it had on May 17.
The Centre has laid down some guidelines for states to help them define the zones.
On Saturday, Jharkhand placed 21 districts with Covid-19 cases in orange zones.
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, too, have done away with the concept of zones, and have taken a cluster-based approach. Till May 17, Andhra Pradesh had five red districts and Telangana six. Now, the focus is on Andhra’s 341 clusters and Telangana’s 130.
Andhra Pradesh’s nodal Covid-19 officer, Arja Sreekanth, said clusters that report several fresh cases in a five-day period are classified as “very active”.
“The colour categorization was needed in the initial stages to prevent quick spread of Covid to new areas in the district... we allowed the states to decide on categorising the areas depending on the number of new cases,” VK Paul, member in-charge of health at Niti Aayog had said last week.
AUTHORITIES IN ANDHRA, T’GANA, K’TAKA, PUNJAB, BENGAL AND J’KHAND HAVE DECIDED AGAINST IDENTIFYING RED ZONE DISTRICTS