Will completely seal hotspots, implement total lockdown in these areas : UP govt

The Uttar Pradesh government will strictly implement the lockdown in the hotspots located across the 15 districts in the state. As per the government, these areas will be completely cordoned off and civilian passes will stay suspended while essentials would be delivered to citizens at their doorsteps.

"The Chief Minister held a detailed meeting today and has given orders for identifying hotspots in those 15 districts which have six or more cases of coronavirus, and taken necessary action," said Additional Chief Secretary, Awanish Awasthi on Wednesday while addressing a press conference.

"There are 22 such hotspots in Agra, 13 in Ghaziabad, 12 in Gautam Budh Nagar, 12 in Kanpur, 4 in Varanasi, 3 in Shamli, 7 in Meerut, 1 in Bareilly, 3 in Bulandshahr, 3 in Basti, 3 in Firozabad, 4 in Saharanpur, 4 in Maharajganj, 1 in Sitapur and 8 big plus 4 small hotspots in Lucknow. With public support we will implement lockdown very strictly in these areas," he said.

"The lockdown will stay in place in all other places as earlier. However, there is no need to panic," he added.

Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) HC Awasthi and the state's Principal Health Secretary Amit Mohan were also present at the presser.

"Sanitation will be improved in those areas, the area will be cordoned off and a drive will be carried out for the same. The civilian passes issued will stay suspended during this period. The Civil Supplies department will provide medicines, and all other essentials will be provided at the doorstep. Identification of the houses in which the patients lived and their close houses will be carried out," said DGP.

Further, the Additional Chief Secretary added that in these areas loudspeakers will be used to spread awareness and drones might be used for surveillance.

"The whole district have not been identified, only very limited areas will be sealed and this will be done till the morning of April 15. I want to make it very clear," said the Awanish Awasthi.

The Principal Secretary, Health meanwhile, said that a total of 343 cases of COVID-19 had been indentified in the state as of yet.

"There are total 343 positive cases of COVID-19 in the state, out of these 187 are from people associated with Tablighi Jamaat. Out of the total 343 cases, 26 people have been cured and discharged in the state,"

The official said that for better management of resources, pooling of patients will be carried out, whereby patients from three or four districts will be treated at one point.

He said that age wise analysis had revealed that 16 per cent of patients are in the 0-20 year age group, while the majority of the patients i.e. 44 per cent are in the 21-40 year age group. Moreover, 41-60 years category had 27 per cent of the patients, and only 13 per cent patients are from the 61 plus age group.

He also said that all medical colleges in all districts have been provided with hydroxychloroquine for medical personnel and added that the state government is now planning to escalate the number of tests conducted per day for identification of COVID-19.

"From tomorrow onwards we will ramp up testing and double the number of tests to almost 1,500 samples per day. Even in districts with no cases, cases with severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) will be sampled to find out whether there is any transmission or not," he said.