The Health and Family Welfare Department has revised the criteria for containment zones, stating that a cluster will be declared if there are five or more cases reported from the same location. If 15 or more cases are reported, the location will be declared as a large cluster, it stated in a circular issued on Tuesday.
If cases are reported from a house/group of houses, 100-meter radius or in case of apartment complexes, the tower/ block will be declared as containment zone(s).
In urban areas, micro-containment zones will be declared in a 50-meter radius if a positive case is from a house/ group of houses, or the floor in case of apartment complexes. In rural areas, micro containment zones will be declared in the 50-meter radius of the affected house/ group of houses.
The circular added that in the event of practical or operational difficulties in notifying areas as micro-containment or containment zones, the local health authorities will work in consultation with district authorities.
Micro-containment and containment zones may be denotified after seven days of the last positive case reported from that location, the circular added.
