Barricades in place near the India Gate in New Delhi. (Express photo by Amit Mehra)
A day after The Indian Express reported that the Delhi health secretary had written to district magistrates, asking them to make sure that areas where cases are being reported are declared containment zones as per procedure, at least two areas in Zamrudpur and Dakshinpuri were sealed.
The containment order passed for both areas says that “several outbreaks of Covid-19 have been reported” and strict perimeter control is required to prevent further spread. Sources said three-five cases were reported from two houses in Zamrudpur. While the patients were shifted out, the area has been contained due to the population density.
Till April 30, there were 102 containment zones in the city. Thereafter, while cases kept increasing, no new zones were added till May 13, when a block in Shalimar Bagh was sealed after the area councillor wrote to the government highlighting the sudden increase in cases from the area. Between April 30 and May 19, only one zone was added — even as the number of cases went from 3,515 to 10,554.
On Wednesday, the city recorded the highest single-day spike with 534 fresh cases in the last 24 hours. The death toll has been updated to 176, after 10 more deaths have been collated by the department. The total cases touched 11,088.
With 500 cases emerging two days in a row, the city has moved to stage 2 of the plan envisaged by a committee formed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to strengthen the health infrastructure in the capital.
The committee had prepared a plan for Delhi depending on the number of cases seen in a day. The first stage was when the city will start reporting 100 cases in a day, followed by Stage 2 with 500 cases in a day and then Stage 3 with 1,000 cases in a day.
The calculations made by the committee suggested that if 500 cases are reported in a day, then the requirement of PPEs will shoot up to 1,500-2,000 PPEs in a day. There should be 50 beds with ventilators, 125 ICU facilities and about 325 beds with oxygen support.
In an interview to a news channel on Tuesday, Kejriwal said the government has readied 2,000 beds with oxygen support for Covid-19 patients: “We are also in the process of getting 1,500-2,000 more beds in the coming days.”
Presently, 10 private hospitals and six government hospitals are designated to treat suspected and confirmed Covid cases. Of the total 1,779 people admitted, 943 are at the six government hospitals and 413 in six private hospitals, as per the data provided by the state government in its health bulletin.