New Delhi: At a high-level COVID-19 review meeting between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Home Minister Amit Shah, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and L-G Anil Baijal on Sunday, top officials have now decided to redraw containment zones in the Capital and implement stricter monitoring of home isolation patients and containment zones. In addition, it was also agreed upon that a Serological Survey would be conducted in the city to check for community transmission.
Delhi on Sunday reported 3,000 new COVID-19 cases and 63 deaths, taking the total tally of cases here to 59,746 and the death toll to 2,175. However, the daily testing numbers saw a significant increase, with the Capital conducting over 18,000 tests in the last 24 hours, leading to the daily positivity rate dipping to around 16 per cent. While 12,106 patients are currently under home isolation, the total active cases here are 24,558.
During the meeting, the special committee chaired by NITI Aayog Member Dr VK Paul presented a report on updated containment strategies for the novel Coronavirus. According to sources who attended the meeting, the focus was on re-mapping containment zones and designing stricter guidelines for monitoring them. Discussions included ways to control activities and movements allowed within a containment zone to prevent the formation of clusters within these areas.
Dr Paul, in the meeting, said, "We should not think of herd immunity as an option. We may eventually get there but we have to try and avoid as many deaths and positive cases as possible."
While the Centre stressed the need for stricter contact tracing of all infected persons and quarantining of contacts; the meeting also revolved around maximising the use of the Arogya Setu app and History App. Listing and monitoring of surrounding houses outside of a containment zone was also suggested in the meeting, which is likely to help collect overall information of an affected area.
A Serological Survey will also be conducted in Delhi between June 27 and July 10, in which randomised samples of 20,000 people will be collected for testing to determine whether community spread is underway in the Capital.
"We discussed ways to avoid cluster patients in a specific area. If there are multiple cases in a building, people tend to flout home quarantine guidelines and visit neighbours or interact with family members which results in clusters," said an official from the Central Government who attended the meeting. Monitoring of gravely ill patients in hospitals and COVID Care Centres will also now become stricter to avoid deaths due to delays in identifying high-risk patients.
Millennium Post also learnt that the Delhi government was suggested to avoid a mounting death toll by increasing monitoring and care for COVID-19 patients. "Whether a COVID-19 patient does not want to go to the hospital or there is any other reason for the delay in taking the patient to the hospital, the home monitoring or isolation members will be pulled up for it," a Delhi government official privy to developments said.
The Centre and the Delhi government have to coordinate and work on stricter monitoring of home isolation patients, added the official. The Ministry of Home Affairs is expected to hold internal meetings this week to discuss and chalk out proper plans on these issues after which they are likely to issue fresh orders in collaboration with the Delhi government in the coming weeks.