Hyderabad has 12 containment zones; civic body to disinfect all colonies and areas

• The Municipal authorities in Greater Hyderabad have identified over 12 containment zones in the city as of April 9.
  
• The containment clusters were formed after 89 Covid-19 positive cases were registered in the areas.
  
• GHMC is spraying door to door disinfectants in colonies and areas with the help of Disaster Response Force (DRF).

The Municipal authorities in Greater Hyderabad identified over 12 containment zones in the city as of April 9.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) set up the containment clusters in Ramgopalpet, Sheikhpet, Red Hills, Malakpet-Santoshnagar, Chandrayangutta, Alwal, Moosapet, Kukatpally, Quthbullapur-Gajularamaram, Mayurinagar, Yousufguda and Chandanagar.

GHMC Commissioner D S Lokesh Kumar said GHMC officials and staff were working in coordination with the police, revenue and health departments.

The containment clusters were formed after 89 Covid-19 positive cases were registered in these areas. He said special attention was given to sanitation and spraying of disinfectant in these clusters.

What are the containment zones?

The Ministry of Health defines COVID-19 containment zones as areas where several positive cases of Coronavirus are found.

“The cluster containment strategy would be to contain the disease within a defined geographic area by detecting cases in the nascent stage, breaking the chain of transmission and preventing its spread to new areas. This would include geographic quarantine, social distancing measures, enhanced active surveillance, testing all suspected cases, isolation of cases, quarantine of contacts and risk communication to create awareness among the public on preventive public health measures,” said the Ministry of Health.

The difference between a hotspot and a containment zone is that the former is not seized but largely monitored for suspected cases. However, when a place is declared as containment zones, the areas are completely sealed, and no outdoor or indoor movements are allowed until permitted by the authorities.

GHMC conducting random tests

Apart from this, a team consisting of health and GHMC officials are going to every house to identify those who are symptomatic and testing them. In these identified clusters, public movements are monitored and barricading is done to keep a check on public movement. Barricading will continue till the stipulated period.

Out of 593 people who attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, 63 people tested positive along with 45 of their family members. The commissioner said there was a chance that the infection would decrease as those tested positive were shifted to government isolation centres.

GHMC is also spraying door to door disinfectants in colonies and areas with the help of Disaster Response Force (DRF). It said that multiple specialized teams in the city are covering all the areas and localities.

India, which has 6,373 cases in all, is trying hard to stop the epidemic from spreading from Stage 2 to Stage 3, which is when community spread will be rampant. As of now, the government is hoping to arrest the disease within these hotspots and ensure unabated spreading does not occur. It is also considering extending the 21-day lockdown, which is expected to end on April 14.

SEE ALSO:Coronavirus News and Updates

What are the Coronavirus symptoms and how to check for them at home