Mayur Vihar Phase-1 residents demand sanitisation after Vardhaman Apartment identified as COVID-19 hotspot

New Delhi [India], April 10 (ANI): Residents at the Vardhaman Apartment, Mayur Vihar Phase-1, which was sealed following a COVID-19 positive case, have complained that proper sanitisation has not been carried out in the apartment or in the adjacent areas.

A resident of the sealed Vardhaman Apartment, GS Mani, told ANI over the telephone, "They have sealed the apartment as a precautionary measure which is absolutely fine, but along with this, the people here also want proper sanitisation and testing. The entire apartment should be sanitised and not just the particular building or boundary areas."

With COVID-19 cases increasing in the national capital and surrounding NCR, the Delhi government had announced a cluster containment strategy to hinder the spread of the communicable disease. According to government norms rigorous sanitisation and door to door monitoring are considered essential in these areas.

Home delivery of essential items and going to hospitals in an emergency is allowed. However, walking without government ID, opening shops, banks, ATMs, and gatherings are strictly prohibited till the tag of a hotspot is removed.

Another resident of the adjacent, Nirman Apartment, on conditions of anonymity said, "Till sealing is in place there, we want proper sanitisation of the entire surroundings on a regular basis. This is a matter of our family's safety and security, we have no other option but to seek help from the government."

Earlier on Wednesday, the hotspot list had twenty names to which another five were added on Thursday. All these hotspots in Delhi will be reviewed from time to time.

Anju Kamalkant, Mayor, East Delhi said, "Our sanitisation work is going on really well, however, if any such issues are arising then we will immediately take action on that as per the guidelines. Public health has always been our utmost priority. Also, I would request everyone to stay home."

The list of hotspots zones in Delhi includes Bengali Market area, parts of Malviya Nagar, Sangam Vihar, Dwarka, Jahangirpuri, Dilshad Garden, Jhilmil Colony, Mayur Vihar, Preet Vihar and Vasundhara Enclave.

At present nationwide, a total of 6412 positive cases including 199 deaths have been registered, according to to the Ministry of health and family welfare.

The government has made extensive arrangements to cope up with the rising cases, however, the lack of supply of testing kit in the world's second-largest populous country poses a genuine challenge for the government and countrymen.