Next up, buffer zones to be set up in Delhi

NEW DELHI: As intensive house-to-house screening begins in the 23 Covid-19 containment zones in Delhi, authorities are also looking to create buffer zones around these areas with clusters of positive cases. A public health official of South Delhi Municipal Corporation said that they would also start random checking of temperatures and monitoring of any symptoms in general population.


“The revised Covid-19 containment plan sent by the ministry of health and family welfare clearly states that the area under the geographical quarantine will be defined into containment zone surrounded by a buffer zone. While there will be no movement inside the containment zone, the minimal movement in the buffer zone around it will be carefully monitored,” said the public health official.

Another official added that even though the containment plan called for a buffer zone of a 5-km radius, the local administration would chalk out containment zone-wise geographical areas based on road access, movement of people, geo-spatial distribution of cases within the cluster and e possibility of interaction between containment zone inhabitants and the buffer area.

While the containment zones have active surveillance with door-to-door check-up as has been witnessed in Nizamuddin basti, the buffer zone will witness what municipal officials call “passive surveillance”. “Dedicated surveillance teams will be formed for each zone which will remain in touch with community leaders, RWA heads and local politicians to get reports on any house or flat that may have people showing symptoms. Such people will be then tested,” the official added. The new guidelines state that buffer zones will immediately come after the geographical defining of containment zones.

The containment plan states that the passive surveillance will also monitor people with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection. Guidelines say that hospitalised patients from the buffer areas with severe respiratory illnesses will also be tested for Covid-19.