Rethink policy on containment zones, Jain asks Centre

Currently, the guidelines of the Union health ministry ask states to implement sealing of areas that record a cluster of Covid-19 cases, and containment efforts can be scaled down only after no fresh case is recorded in the sealed area for at least 21 consecutive days.

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Sunday said the Centre should reconsider its policy on containment zones.

New Delhi, India - July 20, 2020: Health Minister of Delhi Satyendar Jain resumes working from office after recovering from Covid-19, at Delhi Secretariat, in New Delhi, India, on Monday, July 20, 2020. (Photo by Arvind Yadav/ Hindustan Times) (Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO)

Currently, the guidelines of the Union health ministry ask states to implement sealing of areas that record a cluster of Covid-19 cases, and containment efforts can be scaled down only after no fresh case is recorded in the sealed area for at least 21 consecutive days, irrespective of the time when the concerned area is notified as a containment zone.

“I feel the Centre needs to review its containment zone policy. The latest sero survey showed around 24% people of Delhi may have already contracted the virus and recovered. It’s already been a month since that survey. In the next survey (scheduled between August 1 and 5), it may touch 35-40%,” he said, suggesting the Centre explore the possibility of allowing scaling down containment measures after 15 days of notifying a containment zone.

“It is difficult to implement a uniform policy across the country. That is what the central government should re-consider... Separate sets of containment policies should be drafted for states and cities, with due consideration to factors such as results of sero survey, prevalence rate, average daily cases and deaths,” said Jain, citing examples of pockets and lanes in the city that have been such zones for over three months.

“The health ministry has given states the right to tweak containment zones based on the situation on the ground, as long as they adhere to broader guidelines,” said a central government official.