22,701 Covid containment zones in Delhi; central area accounts for most

Of the total 22,701 containment zones in the national capital, central Delhi accounts for the maximum 6,523 red zones, according to official figures.

Delhi had 31,570 containment zones on April 27. The number, due to a significant drop in COVID-19 cases, has now come down to 22,701 -- a decrease of over 28 per cent by Thursday.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said the national capital recorded around 900 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours and stressed that if new infections continue to decline, more activities will be allowed to open up in the city.

This is the fourth consecutive day when the daily cases count have stood below the 1500-mark.

According to data from the Delhi government's revenue department, central Delhi has the maximum number of 6,523 containment zones -- accounting for nearly 29 per cent of the total zones -- followed by New Delhi (4,229), southwest Delhi (2,313), south Delhi (2,308) and north Delhi (1,848).

East Delhi (197) has the lowest number of containment zones. Shahdara has 262 zones and northeast Delhi 326.

Of the 11 districts in the city, seven have less than 2,000 containment zones -- north Delhi (1,848), northwest Delhi (1,608), southeast Delhi (1,604), west Delhi (1,483), northeast Delhi (326), Shahdara (262) and east Delhi (197), as per the data.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Delhi has had a total of 85,908 containment zones, with south Delhi recording 32,383, the highest in the city. Of these, 63,207 have been de-contained so far.

There are 14,253 active containment zones in the city.

In compliance with the Union Health Ministry regulations, an area or building is marked as a containment zone when three or more COVID-19 positive cases are reported there. To prevent further contamination, more stringent restrictions are imposed in these areas.

The process of lifting the lockdown gradually in the national capital will begin from Monday, starting with resumption of construction activities and reopening of factories for a week, Kejriwal had announced on Friday.

The phase-wise unlocking process in Delhi will begin after over six weeks of lockdown enforced in view of the second wave of COVID-19.