Ghaziabad yet to decide on lockdown relaxations, action-plan being chalked out

With Ghaziabad in the orange zone, the district administration said it was working on a set of guidelines that would define how economic activity would resume while

With Ghaziabad in the orange zone, the district administration said it was working on a set of guidelines that would define how economic activity would resume while ensuring strict compliance of all measures needed to contain the spread of the Coronavirus disease.

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“The action plan will be ready by May 4 and will be made public. A meeting was held with officials of different departments… Everything directed by the state government will be put in place in a coordinated manner,” Ghaziabad district magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey said.

The guidelines issued by Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday were based on guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs last Friday.

The letter issued by UP chief secretary RK Tiwari, listed the zone-wise permissions and prohibitions. UP has adopted the complete ban on all activity between 7pm to 7am. “It is an appeal and order that people above age of 65 years, those with comorbidities, children under 10 years and pregnant women should stay home,” UP additional chief secretary (home) Awanish Awasthi said.

Among the enterprises allowed to function are standalone liquor shops across zones but outside containment zones from 10am to 7pm with strict adherence to physical distancing.

“In containment zones, OPD and medical clinics will not be allowed to open. These will be permitted in Red, Orange and Green zones with the help of health department guidelines. For emergency services, we have given permission to individual hospitals,” Awasthi said.

The guidelines allows opening of standalone shops selling essential and non-essential items, but market complexes and markets will remain shut.

The officials said that private four-wheelers with a driver and two passengers, and two persons on a two-wheeler are permitted in Orange zone but within the district. “Inter-state and intra-city bus operation will not be allowed in Orange zone,” they added.

“The industrial activity in urban areas is permitted in Special Economic Zones, export-oriented units and industrial estate/townships. Other industrial units operating at present will continue operation. The factory premises will have to be sanitized and disinfected. In Red and Orange zones, units with more than 50 workers will have to arrange for transport facilities and vehicles will function at 50% of its passenger capacity,” Awasthi added.

“Units with more than 50 employees will also have to get random testing of at least 5% employees (maximum 25) through RT-PCR kits,” he added.

Officials also allowed for operation of private offices with 33% employees and work from home for remaining staff.

The Covid-19 is a highly contagious disease caused by the virus Sars-CoV-2, which attacks the respiratory system. So far, 83 people have been infected in the district. Pan India, the number stands at 40,244, as per the Union Ministry of Home Affairs website late Sunday night.

The number of curbs on human movement amid the Covid-19 pandemic is fewer in the orange zone than red but more than green. Neighbouring districts of Noida, Meerut and Delhi are under the Red zone.

Eight more cases, tally now at 83

The district of Ghaziabad, on Sunday, reported eight more cases of the Coronavirus disease (Covid-19). With this, the tally, which includes the husband of a woman councillor from Vasundhara who had tested positive on April 30, has reached 83, of which 31 are active.

“The husband of councillor from Vasundhara also tested positive and he has been admitted to the ESI Hospital in Sahibabad. We are also trying to trace his other contacts. Further, wife and nephew of a Covid-19 patient from Vaishali have also tested positive. A man from Dasna Gate tested positive besides four other persons who were already in a quarantine facility. The four persons are from Islam Nagar and contacts of a positive patient,” said chief medical officer (CMO) Dr NK Gupta.

The chief medical officer also said that 12 contacts of a driver of the district fire department tested negative for Covid-19 on Sunday.

“The driver is at ESI Hospital in Sahibabad and had tested positive three days ago. All his contacts tested negative on Sunday,” he said.

Chief fire officer Sunil Kumar Singh confirmed that the driver had turned positive and all his 12 contacts were negative after test reports received on Sunday.