MHA issues guidelines for COVID-19 management in the country as lockdown has been extended for two more weeks.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued National Directives for COVID-19 management and offenses and penalties for violation of lockdown measures as it has been extended for two more weeks. As the lockdown has been extended till May 31, the Centre in the latest extended phase of the lockdown has given more power to the states who will decide further relaxations or restrictions based on zones.
With four zones already existing including -- containment, red, orange, green -- one more zone have been added in the country which is the buffer zone.
What is buffer zone?
According to MHA, the adjoining blocks of the affected district or rural districts of the affected city will be considered as the buffer zone. A joint assessment by state and central RRTs will decide on feasibility to implement strict interruption of movement of people while boundary for geographic quarantine will be defined based on geospatial distribution of each cluster contained within.
Know your zones for lockdown 4.0
- As the states have been given more power, according to the MHA guidelines, within the Red and Orange Zones, Containment Zones and Buffer Zones will be demarcated (redefined) by the district authorities, after taking into consideration the guidelines of the health ministry, the government said.
- The delineation of red, green, and orange zones will be decided by the respective State/Union Territory governments, after taking into consideration the parameters shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- In the containment zones, only essential activities shall be allowed. There shall be strict preimter control to ensure that there is no movement of people in or out of these zones, except for medical emergencies and for maintain supply of essential goods and services. Guidelines of MoHFW shall be taken into consideration for the above purpose.
- In the containment zones, there shall be intenstive contact tracing, house-to-house surveillance and other clinical interventions as required.
- The home secretary said states and union territories (UTs) will now categorise red, orange and green zones and inside the red and orange zones, containment and buffer zones will be identified by the district administration and local urban bodies with technical inputs at local level and by taking into consideration the health ministry guidelines.
- State/UT Governments shall not dilute the lockdown guidelines issued under the Disaster Management Act 2005, in any manner.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday in his televised address to the nation had announced that the lockdown will be extended for some time adding that it will be different in nature than the previous phases. He had informed that the guidelines for lockdown 4.0 will be announced before May 18.
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