Home Minister Amit Shah with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. (Photo: PTI/file)
In a significant rejig of Covid containment measures in the national capital, the Centre has asked the Delhi government to delineate all containment zones afresh, enumerate all households even outside containment zones, conduct a serological survey among 20,000 Delhiites, and associate every district with a big hospital.
In a meeting held at North Block on Sunday with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and L-G Anil Baijal, among others, Home Minister Amit Shah also instructed the Delhi government to send a detailed report to the Centre on every Covid death in the city. This must include when the patient was brought to the hospital and from where, among other details.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Sunday said these instructions had been given based on a report submitted by a committee led by NITI Aayog member Dr V K Paul. The report was presented during the meeting held at North Block. Follow Coronavirus India LIVE Updates
“The Home Minister instructed that the Delhi government must assess every Covid death as to when the patient reached the hospital and from where. If the deceased was earlier in home isolation, whether he/she was brought to the hospital in time must be a key enquiry. Every death must be reported to the Centre,” an MHA statement said.
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It added that the Home Minister has instructed that all positive cases must first go to Covid centres and only those who have proper arrangements and do not suffer any co-morbidities be allowed to stay in home isolation. He also asked for details on the number of people in home isolation in the city, and for the Delhi government to take technical help in realigning containment zones.
According to the MHA, key points spelled out by the committee include delineation of the 242 containment zones in the state afresh. Strict perimeter control of these zones and activities within them have also been recommended.
“It was also informed that a serological survey will be conducted across Delhi between June 27 and July 7 in which sample testing of 20,000 people will be done. This will help with a comprehensive assessment of the spread of infection in Delhi and assist future planning,” the MHA said in its statement. Serological surveys are used to determine the prevalence of a disease in a population.
Contact tracing and quarantining of all contacts of infected individuals with use of Aarogya Setu and Itihas apps are part of the recommendations.
The Centre has also fixed a timetable for the implementation of the recommendations, with the Delhi government being told to come up with a plan by June 22, form district-level teams by June 23, delineate all containment zones afresh by June 26, complete 100% survey of those in these containment zones by June 30, and do a large-scale survey in the rest of the capital by July 7.
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