Gov’t issues SOPs for containment zones in Jammu and Kashmir

As the coronavirus infections continue to rise in Jammu and Kashmir, with 22 cases reported as of 8 AM on April 16, taking the total number of cases there up to 300, the government has issued standard operating procedures for the 90 red zones – 72 in the Valley and 18 in the Jammu division, reported The Tribune.

According to the new guidelines, there will be a strict ‘perimeter control’ in the area of the containment zones to ensure that there is no inward or outward activity of people, except for those who provide essential services. This was to curb the further transmission of the virus in these clusters. Those providing emergency medical aid and those people in the law and order duties and those in the government business community would be allowed.

Sources told The Tribune, “Around 70,000 people have been screened in the 90 red zones while about 200 samples of suspected persons have been taken so far.”

The guidelines defined a red zones to be, “Areas with a significant number of cases or where ther is suspicion of cluster transmission, based on assessment by DC and CMO, with the advice of the SP as well, will be declared as RED ZONES by Deputy Commissioner concerned.”

“The mapping (size of the perimeter) of the red zone shall be done depending upon size of habitation, geographic distribution of positive cases, proximity to other habitations, accessibility, geographical barriers, mobility of Covid positive person, etc.”

“The red zone will see a 100 percent lockdown and shall be completely sealed for any movement across its boundaries. As far as possible, there shall be only one opening to the red zone to be manned by a naka party and a Magistrate. The only movement across the red zone boundaries would be for supplies (medical, grocery and vegetables), medical emergencies, and fumigation / sanitation and enforcement/survey personnel.”

“All entry and exit to the zone would be with the red zone passes and proper fumigation of vehicles, safety of personnel and safety tunnels. Surrounding villages/habitations will be declared as the buffer zones,” the guidelines added.

“The entire red zone will be under surveillance and the people will be contacted periodically for rechecking for symptoms,” the guidelines stated about health screening and surveillance adding that there would be a 100 percent survey and screening of all people in the red zone,” the guidelines stated.

There would be intensive testing of all contacts (already being done), of neighbours and of all those with symptoms. In addition, there would be random sampling tests.

“With the increase in the load, doctors will not have time to do contact tracing. Therefore, separate teams will be constituted for contact tracing, so that the doctors can handle the medical load,” the guidelines said, adding that the tehsildar or other suitable officer will be the overall administrator of the red zone concerned.

“All frontline staff, especially medical personnel, will be protected from violence and cared for. No lawlessness will be tolerated.”

The guidelines also state that the results of the survey would be integrated with the government’s Aarogya Setu app as much as possible.

Amid much criticism, the Srinagar administration set up concrete barricades around the red zones to isolate the population there. Iron bars were erected on the main supply road of the Natipora area where two positive cases were reported till date by the Srinagar Disaster Management Authority.

“The barricading is part of the new containment plan of the government to restrain inward and outward movement of locals in designated red zones,” a senior official of the Deputy Commissioner’s office told The Hindu.

However, this move evoked concern and anger from locals and experts. Humayun Qaisar, former director of All India Radio, Srinagar said, “The barricades leave no scope for fire or health emergency to be addressed. This will only lead to stigmatisation at large. Concertina wires are already present on roads and one fails to understand why they are not being used.”

“Barricading is stopping nothing. This will only impede your way to reach hospitals in case of an emergency. The virus doesn’t live in another locality. It could be carried by anybody from any place. Maintaining social distance and staying home are the only remedies,” Dr. Arshad Hussian, Valley’s leading psychiatrist, said.

Criticism was sharp on Twitter too.

The SOPs for containments zones in J&K say that all important information is to be publicized regularly through electronic and social media for sensitization of all and all queries are to be answered using the same too.

How will this be achieved when the people in Kashmir are still unable to download basic information disseminated by the government because of the 4G services that were cut eight months ago and have yet not been restored?

The completed SOPs may be read below.

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