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Rajasthan has fewer red zone districts, 7th on nationwide list
Following the videoconference by the Cabinet secretary with chief secretaries of states on April 30, the list classifying districts as red, orange and green zones was sent to all states.
Rajasthan now has fewer districts in the Covid-19 red zones classified by the Union health ministry, while Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 19 such districts, according to an official letter.
Following the videoconference by the Cabinet secretary with chief secretaries of states on April 30, the list classifying districts as red, orange and green zones was sent to all states.
Rajasthan has eight districts in the red zone, 19 in the orange zone and six in the green zone.
The letter from Union health secretary Preeti Sudan, accessed by Hindustan Times, said district will be considered a green zone if it has recorded no confirmed Covid-19 cases so far, or if no cases have been reported for 21 days.
According to the list, Uttar Pradesh has 19 districts in the red zone, followed by Maharashtra (14), Tamil Nadu (12), Delhi (11), West Bengal (10) and Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh (nine districts each).
Of the 733 districts in the country, 130 are in the red zone, 284 in the orange zone and 319 in the green zone.
In an earlier classification done on April 15, 170 districts were in the red zone, 207 districts the white zone and 353 were in the green zone. At that time, Rajasthan, with 12 hot spot districts, was among the top five states – the others were Tamil Nadu (22), Andhra Pradesh (16), Maharashtra (14) and Uttar Pradesh (13).
On April 15, the Union health ministry had designated districts as hot spots or red zones, orange zones and green zones based on cumulative cases reported and the doubling rate.
In the latest list, districts have been designated across the various zones by broad-basing the criteria. This classification is multi-factorial and takes into consideration incidence of cases, doubling rate, extent of testing and surveillance feedback, officials said.
According to the latest classification for Rajasthan, the districts of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Ajmer, Bharatpur, Nagaur, Banswara and Jhalawar are in the red zone.
Tonk, Jaisalmer, Dausa, Jhunjhunu, Hanumangarh, Bhilwara, Sawai Madhopur, Chittorgarh, Dungarpur, Udaipur, Dholpur, Sikar, Alwar, Bikaner, Churu, Pali, Barmer, Karauli and Rajsamand are in the orange zone, while Baran, Bundi, Ganganagar, Jalore, Sirohi and Pratapgarh in the green zone.
“This is a dynamic list. The list will be revised on a weekly basis or earlier and communicated to states for further follow-up action in consonance with the directions issued by Ministry of Home Affairs under the Disaster Management Act, 2005,” the letter said.
The Union health ministry has allowed states to designate additional red or orange zones based on feedback from the field and additional analysis at the local level. “However, states may not relax the zonal classification of districts,” the letter said.
The ministry added that for districts having one or more municipal corporations, the areas under these bodies and other areas of districts may be treated as separate units.
“If one or more of these units have reported no cases for last 21 days, they can be considered as one level lower in zonal classification, in case the district is in Red/Orange Zone. District authorities should, however, exercise due caution in such areas so that these areas remain free from COVID19 cases,” the letter said.
Public health expert Dr Virendra Singh said Rajasthan has been able to flatten the curve due to lockdown and curfew in affected areas. “The state is among the top states in terms of testing. It is continually increasing its testing capacity, targeting 10,000 tests a day from 8,000 currently. It is because of these efforts that some Rajasthan districts have transitioned from the red to orange zone,” he said.
