Darjeeling Jalpaiguri admin lift 'containment zone' tag from Siliguri

SNS, 15 May 2020, Siliguri / Malda: The Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri administrations have lifted 'containment zone' orders that were in place in certain areas of Siliguri town. The move comes after no fresh Covid- 19 cases were detected in the areas in the last more than 28 days.

The Darjeeling administration has lifted the order from Ward 47 under the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC). However, a three-km radius of an apartment near the North Bengal Medical College (NBMCH) will remain a 'containment zone.' According to the health department guidelines, a Covid-19 containment zone refers to an area where positive cases of coronavirus are found.

Every confirmed case has to be considered an epicentre. Areas falling under a three-km radius of an epicentre (the residence of positive case) are demarcated and the area is declared a contairmient zone. The administration had restricted the movement of people and vehicles in Ward 47 following the detection of a positive case there on 2 April. A railway employee there died on 5 April. On the other hand, an NBMCH nurse and three other family members, including her 22-month- old daughter, were found Covid-19 positive near the NBMCH. They have, however, been cured now." The zone has completed the mandatory 28-day isolation period without any fresh case reported after 2 April," officials in Darjeeling district said today."The order has been withdrawn from Ward 47 today. 

However, the order will remain for the surrounding areas of the apartment near the NBMCH." Siliguri Sub Divisional Officer Summit Sahay said.

The Jalpaiguri district administration yesterday issued an order, stating that the containment zones in Wards 40, 41, 42 and 43 under the SMC under the Ektiasal Sub-Centre under DabgramII grampanachayat have been lifted. The areas fell in to such a zone after four relatives of a Covid-19 victim were found positive in Ward 41. A 44 year-old Kalimpong woman, who had returned from Chennai had died at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital on 30 March. Her relatives in Ward 41 had come in contact with the woman before her death. The administration officially announced those areas as containment zones on 19 April to contain the spread of the infection.

Administrative officers of both the districts said extensive house-to-house surveys were conducted and that all persons suffering from the severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and influenza-like iliness (ILI) had undergone tests and found negative for Covid- 19.

Seven more cases in Malda: In Malda, seven more Covid-19 cases have been detected in five blocks of the district. English Bazaar has been added to the containment zone list with one of the fresh cases belonging to the area. The six other patients hail from from Kaliachak and one each from Old Malda, Harishchandrapur and Manikchak.

Patient dies in isolation ward: A patient, who was admitted in the isolation ward of the NBMCH, died today, within hours of his admission. He was, however, tested negative for Covid -19, source said.