Maharashtra Lockdown 4.0 guidelines: How state mapped red, non-red zones

View of the less crowded CSMT station following the corona virus pandemic. Mixed reaction by passengers for local trains at CSMT. (Express photo by Prashant Nadkar)

Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta, in his order, said, “After contemplating delineation parameters recommended by Government of India and the existing health infrastructure and other relevant considerations”, the state has been categorised in two zones.

Officials said that based on parameters laid down by the Union Health Ministry, factors such as active Covid-19 cases, doubling and fatality rates and cases per lakh population were taken into consideration while categorising areas into red and non-red zones.

Unlocking the non-red zones, the state has permitted all markets and shops in these areas to remain open from 9 pm to 5 pm.

“All cities with a doubling rate calculated over a seven-day period of less than 14, and more than 15 active cases per lakh population were categorised in the red zone. As for case fatality rate, all those where it was over six per cent were considered critical. Most of the cities to be included in the red zone have over 200 active cases,” said an official, adding that the testing ratio was also considered for the classification.

Some of the cities and districts that have been excluded from the red zone include Pimpri Chinchwad and Nagpur Municipal Corporations and Nanded, Satara, Yavatmal and Palghar districts, which were earlier categorized as red zone on April 30 by the Union government.