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That’s the “burning” question since the Uttar Pradesh government ordered Wednesday night to declare particular areas in up to 15 districts of the state as “hotspots” as of midnight Wednesday.
State government officials say districts where six or more cases have been detected were chosen to identify critical points within. “It was at the discretion of the committees established in each district to identify the critical points based on the risk assessment and whether people took the blockade seriously. An area is assigned based on the assessment after the arrest and the probability of a high degree of spread, ”said a government official.
“It is a geographical area, which could be a mohalla, a colony or a sector, where the probability of community spread is high,” said IG (Agra rank) A Satish Ganesh. The Agra district in UP has the highest number of critical points, 22, of the 15 districts.
“A smaller area can also be declared an active zone if a person has tested positive or has a travel history or if members of Tablighi Jamaat have been found seeking refuge,” said additional Lucknow district magistrate Vishwa Bhushan Mishra.
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Lucknow has eight major and four minor points. Among the minors, two houses were sealed. While in a house in Gomtinagar, a family of four was found positive, in another house an older person was positive. Although these two houses have been sealed, the area was not declared an access point.
While Bhilwara’s model, with its “ruthless” containment of the Covid-19 spread, was recognized by the Center as a template, critical points at UP would imply a strict regime for those living in these areas, from rigorous controls door to door until stricter enforcement of blocking orders.
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Each access point will see rigorous door-to-door monitoring to develop an epidemic tree to track each person from primary contact to the people they have been in contact with. This will be followed by mandatory testing.
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Apart from this, all entry and exit points are prohibited to stop the movement of people in and out of the area.
“No one living in a public access point would be allowed to go to the market, even for essential products, including medicines. These can be ordered and will be supplied to households. Only ambulances, in the event of a medical emergency, may enter with permission. The media is also prohibited from entering an access point, ”said Mishra. The entire area will be disinfected regularly.
