With the apprehensions of Punjab entering into the community transmission stage of coronavirus pandemic with infection source of 10 of the total 170 cases still untraced, the State Health Department has identified 17 hotspots spreading over nine districts for better monitoring and containing the spread of deadly virus.
By identifying the hotspots — areas with more than one confirmed Covid-19 case, that is, an area that could potentially see a community outbreak of the contagion, the concentrated efforts would be made to contain the disease within a defined geographic area by early detection of cases, breaking the chain of transmission, and thus preventing its spread to new areas.
These 17 hotspots add up to total 108 cases, out of total 170 reported so far in the state, with a maximum of 44 from Mohali, followed by 18 from Nawanshahr.
Among the 17 hotspots, Mohali — which has witnessed the highest number of cases standing at 53 — has the maximum six hotspots including Dera Bassi’s Jawaharpur village having more than 30 cases, followed by Phase III-A, Phase V, Phase IX, Sector 69 and 91.
In SBS Nagar (Nawanshahr) district, Pathlawa with its 12 cases and Sujjon village with six cases have been identified.
Other areas are Nijatam Nagar locality and Virk Patts Yadpur village in Jalandhar; Diamond Estate Colony and Udham Singh Nagar in Amritsar; Moranwali village in Hoshiarpur; Amarpura in Ludhiana; Budhlada in Mansa; Sujanpur in Pathankot; and Chatwalli in Ropar.
“In the hotspots, the Government of India’s containment plan comes into play. These hotspots are the epicenter of the outbreak in a particular area. The three kilometers area around that place has to be sensitized, and could be more depending on the District Administration. Maximum testing has to be done in these areas, and the people’s movement has to be stopped completely with the government’s responsibility to ensure supply of all essentials to the residents,” Punjab’s COVID Control Room head Rahul Tiwari told The Pioneer.
The State Government said that it would intensify its containment strategy in these areas by using RT-PCR and rapid kits to test extensively in these areas.
Another official, who did not wish to be named, said that the Police teams would be deployed outside each of these areas and barricades would be placed to prevent the entry and exit of anyone.
“All shops, except those selling medicines, will be closed and curfew passes, that have been issued earlier, would stand canceled until further orders. Only those involved with essential services, like doctors and health staff, would be allowed to move,” added the official.
“With the increase in the frequency of testing, we are expecting a rise in cases. But, we are also trying our best to limit the number of cases by strictly monitoring the situation, and now by identifying the COVID-19 hotspots, it would be more concentrated,” added the official.