COVID-19: Health Ministry asks states to classify districts into three zones

To ensure maximum containment of coronavirus during the lockdown period, the Union Health Ministry has asked states to classifydistricts into hotspots, non-hotspots and green zones.

The Centre has declared 170 hotspots --- 123 hotspot districts with large outbreaks and 47 hotspot districts with clusters --- in 25 states and Union territories.

Besides, it has identified 207 non-hotspot districts with clusters in 27 states.

Districts witnessing high number of cases or high growth rate of infections are being marked as hotspots; districts where some cases have been found as non-hotspots; and those which have reported no cases as green zones.

In a letter to all chief secretaries of states and UTs, Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan said hotspot districts need to ensure implementation of theoutbreak containment plan, adding that the states also need to identify hotspots based on the doubling rate of confirmed cases.

"This exercise of identification of hotspots has to be done on a weekly basis (every Monday) or earlier. Strict containment measures need to be implemented in these hotspots," she said.

Further, for non-hotspot districts reporting cases, states need to ensure that containment measures are taken so as to ensure that cases in these areas can be contained.

The letter, however, does not specify any district as a green zone.

Sudan asked states to undertake effective surveillance of severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) and infuenzalike illness (ILI) cases in districts that do not have any confirmed cases so far besides ensuring setting up of dedicated COVID-19 hospitals.

"Containment operation would be deemed over when there is no case reported in 28 days from an area after last case tests negative. Hotspots (designated red zones) will be assumed to be undertaking effective containment activities, if no case is reported in next 14 days (designated orange zones) will be deemed successful in containment, if no case is reported for 28 days (designated green zones)," Sudan said in the letter.

"It is requested that states should utilize the extended lockdown period to the maximum extent to convert the hotspots (red) to orange and in turn green zones," she said.

Red zone districts which require focused attention are those reporting large numbers of cases or having high growth rate of infections. These are the highest case load districts contributing to more than 80 pc of cases in lndia or highest case load districts contributing to more than 80 pc of cases for each state in lndia.

Hotspots districts with large outbreaksin Delhi are south, south east, Shahdara, west, north, central, New Delhi, East, south-west in Delhi while north west has been identified as hotspot district with clusters. North-east falls under non-hotspot districts reporting cases.

Besides, hotspots districts with large outbreaks include 22 districts from Tamil Nadu, 11 each from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, nine from Uttar Pradesh, eight from Telenhana, six fromKerela, five from Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, four from West Bengal and three fromKaranataka.