India Gate area wears a deserted look during the national lockdown (Reuters picture used for representation)
NEW DELHI/NOIDA: Thirteen areas in the capital, 22 in Noida and 13 in Ghaziabad were sealed on Wednesday midnight as the Delhi and UP governments stepped up a cluster containment exercise to break the novel coronavirus infection chain in the NCR.
While the sealing in Delhi will be periodically reviewed, that in Noida and Ghaziabad will remain in effect till April 15. The national lockdown ends on April 14.
The containment zones in Delhi include the Bengali Market area, and some parts of Malviya Nagar, Sangam Vihar, Dwarka, Jahangirpuri, Dilshad Garden, Jhilmil Colony, Mayur Vihar, Preet Vihar and Vasundhara Enclave. In effect, over 15,000 Delhiites are under complete lockdown in their houses. TOI had already reported the East Delhi district administration had created eight containment zones on Tuesday.
In Noida, seven residential sectors and eleven group housing societies are among the 22 places sealed. In Ghaziabad, which has seen less than half the number of Covid-19 cases as Noida — 25 to Noida’s 62 — the number of places that have been sealed is 13, including four housing societies.
Sealing a more stringent version of lockdown
The areas that have been sealed have all been identified as ‘hotspots’, defined as any location that has seen at least one person test positive for Covid-19.
Sealin