Coronavirus pandemic | How Maharashtra’s Wardha district managed to keep COVID-19 cases in check

Maharashtra reported more than 7,000 new COVID-19 cases on July 4, taking its tally to just over two lakh. While a large number of cases are being reported from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune, Nasik and Raigarh, one district that has managed to keep the spread of the novel coronavirus in check is Wardha.

The district remains least affected in Maharashtra with just 17 cases till date. According to data shared by the state health department, only one death due to the disease has been recorded in the district with a population of over 18 lakh. Of these 17 cases, only four are currently active, according to a report in The Indian Express.

According to district collector Vivek Bhimanwar, the most important factor in the district's fight against COVID-19 was identifying the district’s 112 entry points.

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"While the major roads were manned by police and home guards, other entry points were guarded by staff sourced from other departments and also civilians drawn from villages near those spots," Bhimanwar told the newspaper.

"The other important step was to screen goods vehicles entering the city since they can be potential carriers. We created unloading points at entries. The goods would then be further transported to designated places by local drivers after being sanitised. The drivers and conductors from outside were not allowed to mix with local residents," the Bhimanwar added.

The district administration also reportedly quarantined entire families even if one person had travelled into the districts from other regions.

"We had over 50,000 people coming to the city from other places, mainly Mumbai and Pune. This helped in keeping the infection within the family for the 16 people who did test positive," Bhimanwar said.

These families were regularly contacted via call centres to check their quarantine status. As many as 1,150 surveillance teams comprising ASHA workers, anganwadi sevikas and teachers were deployed to monitor adherence to quarantine norms. “We also installed CCTV cameras in three containment zones to keep vigil against those venturing out of quarantine," the collector added.