What lockdown curbs will be imposed on virus hotspots

The government has outlined the ways in which the restrictions aimed at strangling the coronavirus outbreak will be enforced in the three zones -- red, yellow and green -- divided on the basis of the rates of infection and mortality.

In an order issuing on Monday, the Cabinet Division announced that a so-called general holiday will be declared in the virus hotspots or 'red' areas while laying out directives on how the zoning process will be implemented.

Besides, details on the process can also be found in the guidelines prepared by the health directorate.

Areas found to have the highest risk of infection will be flagged as red zones, encompassing districts, Upazilas, neighbourhoods and homes.

Life in these areas will be heavily regulated through restrictions similar to lockdowns. Offices and factories will be shut down while public transports and general movements will be strictly controlled.

Shops and marketplaces will also remain shuttered with these curbs set to be in effect for at least three weeks.

The health ministry will soon decide on the alert level in each zone, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam told bdnews24.com.

Makeshift barricades have been erected to block accesses to the East Rajabazar, the first area in Dhaka put under a lockdown on the basis of mortality and infection rates amid the coronavirus outbreak. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove

Areas will accordingly be designated as red, yellow and green zones, based on the level of risk.

Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Health Services said a district civil surgeon has the authority to declare an area as a red, yellow or green zone under the Communicable Diseases (Prevention, Control and Eradication) Act with the approval of the government.

The civil surgeon will then implement the zoning process with the assistance of local representatives, the civil administration, law enforcement and armed forces personnel along with volunteers.

State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain had said on Jun 13 that the authorities would identify areas with the highest prevalence of coronavirus infections across the country would be identified and start declaring them as red zones 'within a day or two'.

However, the health directorate on Monday said that red zones in Dhaka and elsewhere would be declared as and when needed. No specific date has been fixed in that regard.

"The declaration and change of red zones will be an ongoing process. A declaration will be made when necessary by taking the overall circumstances into consideration and the local authorities will implement it. All confusion regarding this issue must be resolved."

Prime Minister's Special Assistant Shah Ali Farhad also addressed the confusion surrounding the date in which the lockdown restrictions would be enforced in a post to Facebook. He urged citizens to await an official confirmation in this regard rather than acting on any 'misinformation'.

Relatives deliver food, groceries and kitchen staple to residents of East Rajabazar in Dhaka as the area, a coronavirus red zone with high infection and death rates, has been on complete lockdown since Jun 9.

The government imposed a nationwide lockdown on Mar 26 for 66 days until May 30, during which time, all offices and public transports were shut down. It later allowed offices and businesses to reopen on a limited scale from May 31 to June 15 while public transport services at a reduced capacity.

However, coronavirus infections and deaths have since surged to record highs, prompting the government to impose fresh curbs by dividing up areas into three coloured zones to limit the outbreak.

Accordingly, an 'experimental zoning system' has been started in parts of Gazipur, Narayanganj and Narsingdi alongside Dhaka's East Rajabazar area. Work is underway to identify the high-risk areas in Dhaka's Wari where similar restrictive measures will be applied, according to the health directorate.

District administrations and city corporations throughout the country are evaluating the situation in their localities in line with the health directorate’s guidelines, it said in a statement.

Based on their assessments, the authorities will submit their recommendations to the health directorate which will then direct them on the process of implementing the zoning system.

High-risk ‘red zone’: Areas in Dhaka metropolitan where more than 60 people test positive for COVID-19 among 100,000 in the last 14 days will be flagged as red zones.

In other parts of the country, a red zone will be declared if more than 10 people out of every 100,000 test positive for COVID-19 in an area in the last 14 days.

Medium-risk ‘yellow zone’: In Dhaka metropolitan area, a yellow zone will be declared where between 3 and 49 people among 100,000 test positive for COVID-19. Outside Dhaka, the ratio is between 3 and 9 cases among 100,000 people.

Low-risk ‘green zone’: Areas where no COVID-19 patients are found since the beginning of zoning process, or have less than three infected patients among 100,000 in the last 14 days, will be identified as green zones.

If the situation in an area improves after it has been declared a ‘red zone’, the restrictions will remain in place for another three weeks.

The decision to change the colour of a zone will only be made after reviewing the data on its infection and mortality rates over a 14-day period.

Workers raising a barricade at an access to East Rajabazar as it becomes the first area in Dhaka to go into lockdown on Tuesday midnight as part of efforts to limit the coronavirus outbreak after the reopening of economy following a two-month nationwide shutdown.

THE DO’S AND DON’TS IN RED ZONES:

>> Farming activities can continue in rural areas as long as the health directives are followed. Industrial units and factories manufacturing agricultural products can also operate.

>> If the red zone falls within an urban area, everything will be closed. People will be required to work from home.

>> No large gatherings will be permitted. People will only be allowed to venture out of their homes only in cases of emergency while complying with health and safety protocols.

>> Transports such as rickshaws, auto-rickshaws, taxis or even private cars won’t be allowed inside a red zone. Other forms of transportation, including rail and river transport services are also banned in red zones. However, water vessels or ships transporting goods are exempt from the restrictions.

>> Entry and exit points will be set up to strictly regulate the movement of people in the red zones. Vehicles transporting sick patients or ambulances can operate with the permission of the authorities.

>> Corner shops and pharmacies in red zones, however, can stay open. Restaurants will only be allowed to make home deliveries while shopping malls, cinema halls, gyms, sports complexes and recreational centres will all remain closed.

>> Residents can collect money from ATM booths as long as they follow the health directives. Limited banking services can also be conducted with the permission of the authorities.

>> An adequate number of COVID-19 samples from red zones will be tested. Infected patients will be sent into home or institutional isolation.

>> Only officials and staffers will be allowed to pray in mosques while maintaining physical distance. Other worshippers must pray at home.

>> It is mandatory for residents to wear masks when they step out of their homes. Hand-washing, sanitizing and social distancing norms must also be followed.

>> Healthcare centres, hospitals and institutions providing emergency services will remain open. But all educational institutions, including schools, colleges and coaching centres, will stay closed until further notice.