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With 15 fresh cases, Chhawani Mohalla is Ludhiana’s first containment zone
The decision was taken after 15 contacts of deceased Pritpal Singh, 53, who died at DMCH on May 29, also tested positive for coronavirus.
The densely-populated locality of the city’s Chhawani Mohalla has become the first containment zone of the Ludhiana district.
The decision was taken after 15 contacts of deceased Pritpal Singh, 53, who died at DMCH on May 29, also tested positive for coronavirus.
As many as six contacts of the Chhawani Mohalla man were also found infected on Thursday. Among them is a 29-year-old man from Meharban village, who works at a shop run by a relative of Pritpal in Gandhi Nagar.
Other contacts include four males aged 52, 40, 21 and 13, and a 43-year-woman, all residents of Chhawani Mohalla.
Deputy commissioner Pradeep Kumar Agrawal said that since a total of 15 cases had been reported from Chhawani Mohalla alone, the district administration and the health department has declared it as a containment zone.
A curfew-like situation will be maintained in this area and no person will be allowed to leave or enter, stated a communiqué issued by the public relations department.
In the communiqué, Agrawal stated that the entire area had been sealed and only essential services will be allowed here.
According to civil surgeon Dr Rajesh Bagga, only essential and medical services will be provided in the area. The health department will conduct intensive house-to-house checking, surveillance, contact tracing and sampling in the area. If more cases are found positive, they will be taken to a health facility as per the protocol.
The primary focus will be the high-risk population including elderly, children and pregnant women.
The house-to-house surveillance and contact tracing will continue for 14 days. If not more than one case was found in a week then restrictions in the containment zone will be lifted.
Chhawani Mohalla is a densely-populated pocket with a population of nearly 17,000, said area councillor Surinder Atwal.
In the meantime, heavy police force has been deployed in the area and movement of vehicles has been restricted.
