Lucknow: The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has decided to “completely seal” 15 districts that have emerged as coronavirus hotspots, from Wednesday midnight till April 30, the state chief secretary said Wednesday.
The districts to be sealed are Lucknow, Noida, Ghaziabad, Sitapur, Kanpur, Agra, Ferozabad, Bareilly, Meerut, Shamli, Saharanpur, Bulandshahr, Varanasi, Maharajganj and Basti.
The move is aimed at checking the further spread of coronavirus in the state.
Of the 37 districts affected by coronavirus, these 15 districts have reported the maximum number of cases.
The sealing will begin at midnight, the chief secretary said, assuring that 100 per cent home delivery of essential items will take place in these areas.
The state government says they will soon pass an order that anyone stepping out of their house will need to cover their face with a mask or cloth.
Uttar Pradesh has so far seen 326 cases of coronavirus, three patients have died and 21 have recovered.
Hotspots are places that have seen multiple cases of Covid-19. The union health ministry has also identified two other kinds of hotspots. “Emerging Hotspots” are areas that saw a spurt in cases over a two-week period, and “Potential Hotspots”, which have a high population density.
There are 15 districts in Uttar Pradesh where the number of Covid-19 cases is more than six. Within these districts, there are areas where there could be one or maybe two cases . These are “hotspots” and will be sealed, the government said. A complete list of such areas is expected this evening.
Earlier this week, Uttar Pradesh had indicated that it would prefer an extension of the lockdown.
Awanish Awasthi, Additional Chief Secretary, Uttar Pradesh, said: “When we open the lockdown it will be after we have ensured that the state is corona free. If even one corona positive person is left, it will be very difficult to open the lockdown and that is why it may take time.”
