Bengaluru Containment Zones: At least 20 zones in city are no longer in the red

Restrictions in containment zones lifted over last month

At least 20 places in Bengaluru, which were identified as “containment zones” to curb the spread of Coronavirus in the neighbourhood, have been freed from all restrictions over the last month, as zero Covid-19 positive cases were detected here over the period.

The number of such zones, however, has remained more or less the same as new cases are being reported in different places across the city.

Currently, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has identified 25 containment zones that include three apartments. The remaining 22 zones are either a cluster of houses or a slum. On Tuesday, Hagadur and Varthur were added to the list after one case each of Covid-19 was detected in the two areas.

Some of the places that are have shed the “containment zone” tag include Hampinagar, Byrasandra, Yeshwanthpur, Vasanth Nagar, Bapujinagar, Hosahalli, Pulikeshi Nagar, RR Nagar, Maruthi Seva Nagar, Radhakrishna Temple, JP Nagar, etc. Most of these places had reported Covid-19 cases in April.

However, at least two places such as Padarayanapura and Hongasandra continue to be under strict surveillance as these zones have reported a large outbreak of the virus. While Padarayanapura still has 34 active cases (where the patient still has to recover), Hongasandra has nine such cases.

Meanwhile, withdrawal of the “containment zone” tag is expected to provide relief to the people residing in these areas as they will be allowed to venture out for work as well as to buy essential items.

Also, the BBMP has redrawn the boundaries of containment zones so as to not let the restrictions affect many houses.

Now, the civic body is sealing down only a floor below and above the flat that reports a Covid-19 positive case, instead of sealing off the entire apartment.

Similarly, if a person living in an independent house tests positive, only the street leading to the “infected” house is brought under the containment zone.

“Earlier, we used to seal off a 100-metre radius around the affected house, thereby restricting the movement of people residing in around 80 to 100 houses. As the boundary has been redrawn, only 40 houses face restrictions now. This has also received full co-operation from the public. It is also easy to seal off the entry and exit point of a containment zone as well as ensure supply of essential commodities,” a senior BBMP official said.