12 containment zones come up in Jaipur to put brakes on Covid surge

JAIPUR: The local administration on Tuesday created 12 zero mobility containment zones (CZ) for an indefinite period in the city following a surge in Covid cases.
Movement of people in these zones will be completely restricted other than those involved in medical services — doctors and nurses — along with a limited few involved in essential services such as vegetable vendors, milkman and newspaper hawkers.Those in need of medical emergency will be allowed to move from these zones only to visit hospitals or at the medical stores.
The decision was jointly taken by DM Antar Singh Nehra and ACP Ajay Pal Lamba after surveying the Covid hotspots in the city. “These containment areas intended to break the chain. These zones come under 11 police stations where a large number of cases have been recorded. The decision was taken on Monday after carefully studying the trends and making an assessment of the situation,” said Nehra.
The areas marked under the CZs have been barricaded from all sides keeping one entry/exit point for the movement of those allowed. ACP Ajay Pal Lamba has requested residents living in these areas not to panic and follow the order. “Police will cooperate with those facing any justifiable emergency. Those who flout the norms will be institutionally quarantined and will not be released until their RT-PCR report comes negative,” said Lamba.
Sources said the containment zones will remain for a minimum of three days. It will be removed only after cases start dipping. The biggest among the 12 CZs are Tilak Nagar, which is recording an average of 10 cases from the last many days, making the entire area at a high risk of infections while the smallest areas include two apartments—Merwara and Vyas in Pratapnagar.
The local authorities said people facing any confusion can call up the control room number for assistance and contact the nearest police station over the phone. The sudden barricading followed by the announcement has caused panic in these areas. KB Kothari, a former policy planner with UNICEF who lives at Tilak Marg, said an announcement made by police doesn’t give us an idea of who is allowed and who’s not.
“I support the decision of the local administration and believe that police will give a patient hearing to those who will step out rather than arresting or charge them with batons,” said an octogenarian Kothari.