All Delhi Houses to Be Tentatively Screened for COVID-19 By 6 July
The Delhi government has formulated a new COVID-19 response plan under directions from the MHA.
Every house in Delhi may be screened by 6 July as part of the Delhi government's new COVID-19 response plan, after recommendations from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), following a meeting between Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, on Sunday, 21 June.
Based on the MHA’s recommendations, the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Delhi government had formulated a revised plan for COVID-19 response in the state where the total number of positive cases is more than 62,000.
According to a circular issued by the DGHS on 22 June that has been accessed by The Quint, the government plans to conduct house-to-house screening and respond to all houses in containment zones by 30 June and the houses in rest of Delhi by 6 July. Delhi has 261 containment zones.
This is, however, a provisional timeline, says the DGHS in the circular.
The order further said that the definition of high-risk and low-risk contacts will now be followed according to MoHFW guidelines.
All symptomatic and asymptomatic high risk contacts will be tested between the fifth and tenth day of contact, it further stated.
There are also plans to place the "travel movement flowchart" of the anonymised COVID-positive patient in the public domain to expedite contact tracking.
There are further plans to increase and improve dedicated COVID-19 hospitals for healthcare workers apart from strengthening surveillance and contact tracing in containment zones.
"More than 2,500 new cases and upto 75 deaths (are) being reported every day (in Delhi). About 45 per cent of the cases are showing features of clustering (in containment zones)", the Delhi government said.
It further added that an epidemiological study shows that a majority of cases are presenting themselves as isolated, sporadic cases and then forming into cluster cases.
It also said that the Aarogya Setu App should be downloaded by all, especially those in the worst-affected zones.
A task force for implementing this revised plan has been formed is being headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal himself.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)