NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Monday increased the number of containment zones or red zones to 55, even as guidelines on demarcating buffer areas around the city’s red zones remain unclear.The central government has defined the buffer areas or orange zones to be the areas where only a few positive cases are recorded and minimum movement like for buying essentials is allowed.
However, in Delhi no clear notification on such areas has been issued.“There has been no distribution of areas by colour as of now that I am aware of, but buffer zones outside the containment zones are areas where the lockdown is not 100 per cent,” informed Nidhi Shrivastava, District Magistrate, Central District.
“Buffer zones around red zones are considered orange zones and change regularly. Other than that, depending on the number of cases and the possibility of a potential outbreak in the future, an area can be considered an orange zone,” informed the official.
As per the central government guidelines, an area within three kilometre radius of the virus hotspot should be a buffer zone. “The national policy has to be modified depending on our needs and the buffer zone should be notified on a case-by-case basis. The main target is to block access to the hotspot. But with the increasing number of hotspots in Delhi, soon the entire national capital would be covered if policy is followed by the books,” said a district official.
The Delhi government has initiated Operation SHIELD in containment zones to stop the spread of virus but as of now only for hotspots or red zone are covered. Sanitization and monitoring of cases is being done in orange zones.
Meanwhile, two women doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital tested positive of COVID-19, according to the authorities. Sources said around 30 healthcare workers were sent for quarantine after the duo tested positive. Additionally, a two year baby of a nurse working at Delhi State Cancer Institute also tested positive for the disease.