Wondering If You Can Go Out To Buy Groceries In Containment Zones? Here's The Dos & Don'ts

To tackle the coronavirus outbreak, and prevent it from moving to Stage 3 of community transmission, India has sealed off containment zones identified in coronavirus hotspots in Delhi, Mumbai and parts of the south.

Thirteen areas in the national capital, 22 in Noida and 13 in Ghaziabad were sealed on April 9 as the Delhi and Uttar Pradesh governments respectively stepped up a cluster containment exercise to break the coronavirus chain in the NCR.

However, lack of clarity and false information induced panic buying in Noida where people in large numbers were seen thronging markets to buy groceries and other essentials.

BCCL

Even though the administration has assured delivery of essentials, there are conflicting views among people. Many trust the government mechanism, while many are still not sure and looking for answers.

Here's a quick lowdown on what you can do and can't do if you reside in a containment zone.

What's allowed in the hotspot area?

- The government will ensure rigorous door-to-door monitoring to contain the spread of coronavirus. People can order doorstep delivery of grocery and other essential items.

- Ambulances with special permission are allowed to enter or exit the hotspot area in case of medical emergency.

- Government will regularly sanitise the hotspot areas.

What's not allowed in the hotspot area?

- People would not be allowed to enter or exit from the hotspot area.

- No one will be allowed to step out even for grocery or medicine.

- The government will ensure doorstep delivery of food, medicine and other essential items.

- Media is not allowed to enter the hotspot areas

The sweeping clampdown in the country of 1.3 billion people to prevent an epidemic of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, ends on April 14 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to decide this week whether to extend it.

Several state governments had asked for an extension of the lockdown to cope with the outbreak. But he also reiterated that the country was facing serious economic challenges, according to a statement issued by his office.

Government data suggests more than 80 per cent of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India, the world¡¯s second most populous country, have been traced to 62 districts representing less than 10 per cent of India¡¯s landmass.

These are concentrated in the western state of Maharashtra, home to financial capital Mumbai, the capital Delhi and the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Kerala.