4 out of 6 containment zones in Chandigarh account for just 4% of total cases

There is no active case in Sector 38, and only 11 persons in Sector 30 of the total 21 infected are still hospitalised at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research.

Four of the six containment zones sealed by the UT administration account for just 4.1% of the total Covid positive cases. The six areas include the Kacchi Colony in Dhanas, part of Sector 52, Shastri Nagar in Manimajra and parts of Sectors 38 and 30B, and the congested Bapu Dham Colony.

At Bapu Dham Colony, three persons have been discharged, with one dead and 122 infected. The source of the spread is still a mystery as reports have suggested only five to ten persons attended the ‘small gathering’ organised by Patient 1. Earlier the UT administration had claimed that more than 100 people had attended the gathering. (HT File Photo)

Out of the total 191 positive cases, only eight were reported from four of these containment zones—Sector 52 reported three cases, and one case each was reported from Sector 38, Dhanas and Manimajra. On the other hand, the other two containment zones—Sector 30B and Bapu Dham Colony—account for 74.3% of the total cases recorded in the city.

There is no active case in Sector 38, and only 11 persons in Sector 30 of the total 21 infected are still hospitalised at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research.

THE BAPU DHAM MYSTERY

At Bapu Dham Colony, three persons have been discharged, with one dead and 122 infected. The source of the spread is still a mystery as reports have suggested only five to ten persons attended the ‘small gathering’ organised by Patient 1. Earlier the UT administration had claimed that more than 100 people had attended the gathering.

Other reasons include common community taps, and sharing of hookahs, cigarettes and bidis, and community drinking and card playing sessions during lockdown.

THE BALANCING ACT

Dr Sonu Goel, community health expert at PGIMER, said that it was a balancing act. “To keep certain areas shut and sealed and keep few zones open is an ideal situation which helps in containing the infection and also reopens the economy.”

HOW AREAS WILL REOPEN

UT health secretary Arun Gupta said as per the central government guidelines, the restrictions in containment zones will be lifted only after 28 days when the last positive case of the zone gets discharged.

When asked why areas with the remaining 20% cases had not been sealed, Gupta said areas like Sectors 15 and 40 were congested and thus more vulnerable, and all these factors were important in decision making about sealing an area.

2 SCHOOLS IN BAPU DHAM TURN INTO QUARANTINE FACILITY

In order to break the chain of infection in Bapu Dham, the UT administration on Friday turned two school buildings here into a special quarantine facility.

UT administrator VP Singh Badnore said during the Friday review meeting that those Colony residents whose houses were small and congested should be allowed to utilise this facility free of cost.

While Badnore appreciated PGIMER for their field visit to the Colony, doctors privy to the matter said the overall analysis of their field visit would take some time.

Badnore also asked the municipal corporation chief to ensure that essential items were available in all containment zones.

Meanwhile, MC chief KK Yadav said the temporary shifting of the Sector 26 mandi to ISBT, Sector 17, had been completed. Necessary sanitisation and social distancing were being maintained in the area, he said.

Arun Kumar Gupta, principal secretary (health), said a post-discharge centre had been set up at Sood Dharamshala for patients with mild symptoms.

Adviser Manoj Parida said several reliefs were being granted by the Centre for the benefit of the poor.