As cases spike, Delhi’s containment zones inch closer to 1,000-mark

Delhi on Friday recorded 2,914 new Covid-19 cases taking the total number of infected individuals to 185,220 so far, even as 161,865 people have recovered from the disease. This is the highest number of new cases reported since June 28, when 2,889 cases were recorded.

The number of containment zones in Delhi is inching closer to the 1,000-mark, along with an uptick in the number of new Covid-19 cases reported daily.

Over the past five days, at least 125 new containment zones were notified in the capital – taking the total of such areas to 949 as on Friday, Delhi government records showed. (Sushil Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Over the past five days, at least 125 new containment zones were notified in the capital – taking the total of such areas to 949 as on Friday, Delhi government records showed. Delhi on Friday recorded 2,914 new Covid-19 cases taking the total number of infected individuals to 185,220 so far, even as 161,865 people have recovered from the disease. This is the highest number of new cases reported since June 28, when 2,889 cases were recorded.

Over the past five days, Delhi recorded 2,366 new Covid cases per day on average, government records showed.

New Covid cases started witnessing an increase once again from mid-August, after a lull of around three weeks. On August 4, the seven-day average of daily new cases had dropped to 983.

Containment zones are sealed areas – its size ranging between one house to a few houses in a lane or a block – in which the government scales up testing and surveillance after having detected potential Covid-19 clusters. Movement of individuals and economic activities are prohibited in these zones, even as lockdown restrictions are eased in the rest of the city.

Zones have come up over the past five days in areas such as Sitaram Bazar and Old Rajendra Nagar 3 in central Delhi; Ganesh Park and School block of Shakarpur in east Delhi; Sri Ram slum clusters in New Delhi’s Moti Bagh; Lane 7 of Jawaharlal Mohalla in Shahdara; Block A in south Delhi’s Panchsheel Vihar; Valmiki Colony in Bijwasan and RZ Block of West Sagarpur in south-west Delhi; several parts of Qutub Vihar locality in the same district; Block BE of West Delhi’s Hari Nagar, and Block C of north-east Delhi’s Karawal Nagar, government records showed.

Currently, south-east Delhi revenue district has the highest number of containment zones at 210, followed by north Delhi (127) and west Delhi (122).

“We have created containment zones under the guidelines issued by the Union government. Each area has been assessed before surveillance was scaled up. The idea is to break the chain of transmission. Essential goods are delivered to residents in these sealed areas,” said Rahul Singh, district magistrate (south-west).

District magistrate (west) Neha Bansal said, “Usually, three cases in close proximity is enough to declare that area as a containment zone. The rule, however, is flexible. If there is adequate space, all individual cases can be allotted home isolation. But that is not possible in congested areas with high population density. Currently, as cases started spiking again, we have scaled up both testing and containment strategies.”

Earlier, Delhi used to have larger containment zones – which had led to the sealing of several lanes, blocks and pockets in localities across the city until a new strategy was drafted on June 26, on the intervention of Union home minister Amit Shah.

Under the new strategy, district administrations may create micro containment zones which comprise one house or a group of houses in a lane or block, with fewer number of residents under heightened surveillance, senior government officials said.