Five micro Covid-19 hot spots in Gurugram; restrictions on public gatherings

A micro-containment zone has a radius of 300 metres, and is notified if the area has three or more Covid-positive patients

The district administration notified five micro-containment zones in the city on Tuesday, following a rise in Covid-19 cases. This will curb the movement of people in these areas and stop the infection from spreading.

A health worker collects swab samples from a man for Covid-19 testing in Gurugram. (Parveen Kumar/HT PHOTO)

A micro-containment zone has a radius of 300 metres, and is notified if the area has three or more Covid-positive patients. Five condominiums in the city have been partly notified as micro- containment zones as the number of cases is high in some residential towers.

Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer, Gurugram, said that Tower A of Block D in Ivy Apartments in Sushant Lok 1, Tower B4 of Aloha Apartments in Sector 57, D block of Grand Arch in Sector 58, and J Block of DLF Phase 3 have been identified as micro-containment zones as each of these apartments reported three positive cases each. Sheeba apartment in Sector 28 has also been notified as a containment zone as it has reported four Covid-19 cases.

“Due to a gradual rise in Covid-19 cases, we have recommended that containment zones be notified and social distancing norms be enforced strictly across the city,” Dr Yadav said.

The city recorded 389 cases on Tuesday, taking the total number of active cases to 1683. The positivity rate was recorded at 9.68% on the same day. The number of hospitalised patients stood at 22, while the number of patients in home isolation stood at 1661. A total of 4018 tests were conducted on Tuesday.

The decision to notify containment zones was taken in a meeting of the district task force, chaired by Nishant Kumar Yadav, deputy commissioner (DC), at the mini secretariat. The health department also recommended that large public gatherings and congregations should be avoided in the present situation. DC Yadav directed authorities to consult with the health department before giving permissions for any public gathering or congregation.

“The total number of cases is gradually rising in the city and the positivity rate is also high. In such a situation, it is important that social distancing norms are implemented strictly,” he said, adding that all government departments have been asked to share vaccination details of their employees.

To meet any emergent situation, DC Yadav also asked private hospitals to conduct a 24-hour dry run of their pressure swing absorption (PSA) oxygen plants. This will ensure that the plants are functioning properly and that oxygen supply is reaching hospital beds. He also said that hospitals must properly screen patients, and maintain proper data to be duly shared with the district administration.

The city has 17 oxygen plants in private hospitals, and 11 in government hospitals. Dr Yadav informed that the health department has already checked the oxygen plants in government hospitals and health centres and that all of them are working fine. Shortage in oxygen supply created issues during the second wave when cases increased exponentially and the majority of patients required hospitalisation.