Earlier, the PMC had declared 69 containment zones on May 3, 65 on May 18, 66 on June 1 and 74 on June 17. (File)

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Thursday once again redefined containment zones in the city by adding 50 new ones, taking the total number of such zones in the city to 109. The civic body has also empowered assistand municipal commissioners of ward offices to seal specific areas, buildings or housing societies which report a ‘surge’, or multiple Covid-19 cases, inside and outside containment zones.

“The PMC has now declared 109 containment zones… based on the spread of the viral infection. This will continue till further orders,” said Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad. The new list has 50 new containment zones and 24 ‘modified’ zones, while it doesn’t have 15 earlier containment zones.

While the number of containment zones is increasing, the area under them is shrinking, as the civic administration is focusing on a ‘micro’ approach by declaring a building or housing society as a containment zone, instead of terming a large locality as one.

Even outside containment zones, assistant municipal commissioners of respective ward offices and incident commanders would immediately seal off the specific area “if they notice surge of Covid-19 patients on the premises,” said the municipal commissioner. The local police will then barricade the roads leading to the newly-declared containment zones.

In the new list, the maximum of 13 containment zones are in Wanowrie-Ramtekdi, 12 in Dhankawadi-Sahakarnagar, 10 each in Kothrud-Bavdhan and Shivajinagar-Gholeroad, nine in Kasba-Vishrambaugwada and Aundh-Baner, eight in Bibewadi, seven each in Dhole-Patil Road and Hadapsar-Mundhwa, six in Sinhagad Road, five in Warje-Karvenagar, four in Nagar Road-Vadgaonsheri and three each in Bhavani Peth, Yerawada-Kalas-Dhanori and Kondhwa-Yeolewadi ward office areas.

Earlier, the PMC had declared 69 containment zones on May 3, 65 on May 18, 66 on June 1 and 74 on June 17.