Containment zones can now be de-notified in 14 days instead of 28

The decision to relax containment norms, taken by the Union ministry of health and family welfare (MoH&FW) on Wednesday, had been a long-standing demand of the Delhi government, with several containment zones in the national capital having been under complete lockdown for more than three months now.

Containment zones in Delhi can now be de-notified in two weeks — down from 28 days, from the day the last Covid-19 patient in the area recovers, the state health department said on Thursday, a move that will bring significant relief to residents of some red zones in the city that have been contained for months.

The new guidelines will be strictly followed in Delhi. (HT photo)

The decision to relax containment norms, taken by the Union ministry of health and family welfare (MoH&FW) on Wednesday, had been a long-standing demand of the Delhi government, with several containment zones in the national capital having been under complete lockdown for more than three months now.

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The health ministry had on Wednesday issued an office memorandum to all states and union territories, saying a few states had experienced continuing outbreaks in some containment zones (CZs) and buffer zones (that encircle the CZs), keeping them under lockdown for months. “In such cases, to have another period of 28 days, to de-notify such CZs brings hardships to its residents. Hence, some states have requested to review the same,” it said.

The Delhi government on Thursday welcomed the move and said all district administrations have been asked to now follow the new rules issued by the health ministry. “Delhi was one the first states to urge the Centre to reduce the number of days it takes to de-seal a containment zone. The new guidelines will be strictly followed in Delhi. Aggressive contact tracing and active surveillance of high risk groups and symptomatic persons will continue in such areas,” the chief minister’s office said.

The union health ministry’s document mentioned that states which have CZs with prolonged lockdowns may choose to de-notify a containment zone “14 days after discharge of the last confirmed case (instead of 28 days)”.

“The surveillance operations will be scaled down if no laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 case is reported from the containment zone for at least 14 days after the last confirmed case has been isolated and all the contacts of the confirmed case have been followed up for 14 days,” the document seen by HT read.

However, the central government also made it clear that surveillance for influenza-like illnesses (ILI), severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) and rigorous testing for these will continue in de-notified containment and buffer zones. “If further positive cases emerge in the de-notified containment or buffer zone, the area will again be declared as a containment zone and the containment process shall begin afresh,” the memorandum read.

A city/district/state can be declared “free from the disease outbreak” only after 28 days have passed since the last confirmed case has been tested negative through an RT-PCR diagnosis.

The Centre, however, also came down on states and union territories for not being able to break the chain of transmission for prolonged periods in some containment zones.

“It is noted that such continuing outbreaks in CZ/BZs reflect less than satisfactory active surveillance, contact testing, testing and inadequate adherence to home isolation guidelines. Hence, to avoid such a situation, the CZ needs to be redefined, surveillance strengthened and testing increased manifold,” it said.

As on Thursday, Delhi had 694 containment zones and at least 300,000 people live in such areas. There were at least five areas in Delhi that had been contained for over three months, including GTB Enclave’s E-block, K and G blocks in Jahangirpuri, Majlis Park in Adarsh Nagar and Hauz Rani. Apart from this, two lanes in southeast Delhi’s Chandni Mahal were under lockdown for at least 88 days.

In an interview with HT on July 18, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the Centre’s rules on containment zones needed serious reconsideration, adding that the Delhi government had made multiple requests to the Central government to relax containment norms in the city.

“The Centre’s rule says that if there is no new Covid case for 28 days straight then that area can be de-contained. But if even a single new Covid case emerges in a containment zone then it will remain under lockdown for 28 more days. As a result there are some containment zones which are under lockdown for 3-4 months. People are very distressed in these zones because they are completely locked down in their houses.

“We have spoken to the Central government, to the Union health and family welfare ministry and have requested them to fix an outer time limit as well. Just like a country cannot be under a permanent lockdown, localities too cannot operate that way. Permanent lockdown cannot be a long-term solution. The Central government has appreciated our feedback and said that similar complaints have come from other states too. They are now revising the guidelines,” Kejriwal had said.