Committee suggests quarantining contacts of COVID-19 cases, re-mapping of containment zones in Delhi

New Delhi, Jun 21 () A high-level committee set up by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday recommended quarantine of contacts of all COVID-19 positive cases in Delhi and re-mapping of all containment zones to check the rapid spread of the coronavirus infection in the national capital.

The home minister advised the Delhi government to implement the containment strategy recommended by the V K Paul Committee.

The committee has recommended that the containment zones will be drawn afresh and strict vigil and control should be maintained on their borders and the activities that take place inside them, the home ministry said in a statement.

It suggested that contact tracing should be done for all infected people and once identified, such contacts should be quarantined. The Aarogya Setu and Itihaas apps should be jointly used to accomplish this task, it said.

The report of the committee was discussed at a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and it was attended by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal among others.

In the meeting Shah advised the Delhi government to implement the report.

The committee headed by VK Paul, member Niti Aayog, was set up by Shah on June 14.

It has suggested that all locations outside containment zones should be chronicled and monitored so that a comprehensive data on Delhi is available, the statement said.

The committee has also recommended that COVID-19 affected people should be treated in hospitals, COVID care centres or in home isolation.

COVID care centres should function properly, and help of NGOs and volunteer groups should be taken for this job, the statement said.

As per the recommendations of the committee, every district of Delhi will be linked with a big hospital for extending appropriate medical help to people affected by the coronavirus.

It has also charted a time table for accomplishing these tasks, it said.

The committee has suggested that every case of death should be analysed from the point of when the person was admitted to hospital and from which area was the deceased brought

The panel said it should be very important to find if the deceased was in home isolation and if he or she was brought to the hospital on time. Every death should be reported to the Centre, according to the statement.

The home minister said all COVID-19 positive patients will have to go to COVID care centres and those who have facilities at home and have no co-morbidity can avail home isolation in Delhi, the statement said.

The Centre should be informed as to how many people are in home isolation in the national capital, Shah said.

He asked Delhi government authorities to take technical help for drawing the new or amended limits for containment zones in Delhi

The new scheme should be ready by June 22, district level teams should formed by June 23, the amended or new limits of containment zones should be ready by June 26, hundred per cent survey of containment zones should be done by June 30 and a comprehensive survey for the rest of Delhi should be done by July 6, as per the timetable

A sereological survey will be done for Delhi between June 27-July 10 in which 20,000 people will be sample tested, the statement said.

This will enable authorities to make a comprehensive analysis of the COVID-19 infection in Delhi and then a broad strategy can be prepared to combat the pandemic in the national capital, it said. ACB NES SKL ANB ANB