Coronavirus a name given to the deadly virus which has caused a huge impact on our daily life and has completely changed the definition of normalcy. Hearing the word daily has become a new normal now. Every day we hear that the cases are increasing and all we have to do is just stay at home and stay safe and follow directives set by the Health Ministry.
We never know who is affected and from whom we might get the virus and get infected ourselves and continue the chain but all we know is how to prevent it from happening. Now sealing of buildings declaring the area as containment zone and Hotspot is becoming more and more common but what to take care and follow are the steps given by the authorities that come after sealing a building or any area.
A building in which any patient is found will be sealed for 14 days and will be de-notified only if no new infected patient is found in a row. If the COVID-19 cases surge the building will be sealed for 28 days as well informed Nagpur Municipal Corporation official.
Earlier a guideline was released which suggested that if a resident from a society tested positive for coronavirus then only floors where positive cases are found will be sealed, not entire buildings and disinfection of the wings or the floors will be done but as the cases were rapidly increasing day by day this was changed to 14 days informed the official.
‘An area tagged as a COVID-19 containment zone will be de-notified if no new infected patient is found there for 14 days in a row instead of the earlier protocol of 28 days’, Maharashtra Minister Rajesh Tope said on June 12.
In a containment zone, no movement is allowed except for essential services. The restrictions in the containment zones continue even though other parts of the state have been unlocked in a phased manner. There shall be strict perimeter control to ensure there is no movement of people in and out of these zones, except for medical emergencies and for maintaining the supply of essential goods. Guidelines of MOHFW shall be taken into consideration for the above purpose.
Containment zones will be demarcated by Municipal District Authorities after taking into consideration the guidelines of MoHFW. The municipal commissioners in corporation areas and district collectors in other parts of the district are empowered to decide the containment zones. Such zones should be a unit which can be effectively governed and efficiently managed considering the recourses availability. The containment zone will be a residential colony, mohalla, slum, building, group of buildings, lane, ward, police station area, villages, a small cluster of villages etc. Anything larger than this (eg. Whole taluka/ Whole Municipal Corporation etc.) can be declared as containment zone only after consultation with Chief Secretary.
