PMC curtails Covid-19 sealing to just flat in new strategy

PUNE: A new strategy for sealing buildings to curb the spread of the coronavirus has been rolled out by the Pune Municipal Corporation.

Now, even if five members of a family test positive for the contagion, and have been shifted to a Covid-19 care centre, there is no need to seal the whole building, Pune municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad said.
The entire building will be sealed only if positive cases are found in several flats. If the patients are residents of one flat, the restrictions will be imposed only on the flat which houses them.
Till now, an entire building was sealed even if a single case is reported from a building in a society.
“We are changing the strategy because a majority of the cases that are coming now are from non-slum areas. The population density in these locations is low compared to the slums. The limited sealing of buildings is to make sure that residents of other flats don’t get affected because of the restrictions,” Gaikwad told TOI.
Locations like Aundh, Baner, Kothrud and Bavdhan, which were in the green zone earlier, have many cases now. Many micro-containment zones have been introduced in these areas too.
Gaikwad said those living in the sealed flat can get day-to-day items. “They can be made available at their doorstep with due precautions. Residents are expected not leave home till their Covid-19 test results are negative. The restrictions are to be maintained till the quarantined at home tag is deleted totally,” he said.
Civic officials said the sealing of a house involves highlighting that the property is under use by quarantined patients. A notice is placed on the door of the house. The main door is not locked from the outside as part of the sealing process, they added.
The civic body’s cellphone-based tracking system is used to keep a watch over the patients and their family members' movements.
No formal responsibility has been given to the office-bearers of the societies to monitor the quarantined home.
“But neighbours, secretaries and chairmen keep an eye on the house and the residents. If any breach from the quarantined family comes to their notice, they inform us. We may take action, in case there is merit in their complaints or on information passed on by the other residents,” a senior civic official said.
Suhas Patwardhan, chairman of Pune District Cooperative Housing Federation, said, the civic administration should make sure that residents do not suffer due to undue restrictions and implement new strategies on a case-to-case basis.
“Factors like open spaces in the complex, number and size of the flats should be considered, before designing the strategy in a society,” he added.