Pool tests to travel ban in states’ plans

States to implement plans before April 20, when Centre will assess effectiveness of disease control

NEWDELHI: Uttar Pradesh will start pool testing of people for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Wednesday, strictly enforce the lockdown and will not allow any inter-district travel. Bihar will start door-to-door screening of residents. Telangana will begin doorstep delivery of essentials in Hyderabad, the state capital, to make sure residents stay indoors. Tamil Nadu intends to tighten restrictions on public movement.

Those are the plans some state governments intend to implement over the next few days until April 20 when the Centre will assess the effectiveness with which the states have implemented the lockdown to decide on the resumption of “necessary activities” in some geographies.

The relaxation in restrictions will be determined partly by the states’ effectiveness in preventing the emergence of new Covid-19 hot spots, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an address to the nation on Tuesday.

BJP-ruled states such as UP, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh, and even Maharashtra said they will prepare strategies after the Centre releases guidelines for the possible relaxation on Wednesday. Several states plan to divide their regions into red, yellow and green zones based on number of cases.

NEWDELHI: Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, will start pool testing of people for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Wednesday, strictly enforce the lockdown and will not allow any inter-district travel. Bihar will start door-to-door screening of residents. Telangana will begin doorstep delivery of essentials in Hyderabad to make sure residents stay indoors. Tamil Nadu intends to tighten restrictions on public movement.

Those are the plans some states intend to implement over the next few days until April 20 when the Centre will assess the effectiveness with which the states have implemented the lockdown to decide on the resumption of “necessary activities” in some geographies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held out the hoper of a staggered exit in some areas in an address to the nation in which he announced an extension of the three-week lockdown, which was to end on Tuesday, until May 3.

States across the country plan to divide their regions into red, yellow and green zones based on high, limited and no cases of Covid-19. Here are some state-specific strategies for the second phase of the lockdown.

MAHARASHTRA

The state plans to deploy additional police forces around containment areas for controlling crowds, especially in crowded areas such as Dharavi. The state government formed a task force of doctors to suggest measures to reduce the death rate and for management of Covid-19 patients in Mumbai.A decision on allowing industrial activity and easing of lockdown norms will be made only after the Centre announces its guidelines, officials said.

TAMIL NADU

It has appointed 12 senior Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service officers at the zonal level to monitor the management of containment zones across the state. The state has started to impose a fine of ~500 on those venturing out without face masks. It has allowed the opening of bakeries for a few hours a day and eased restrictions on the movement of seafood. Officials say restrictions on public movement will become tighter in the coming days.

UTTAR PRADESH

In Uttar Pradesh, district administration officers and superintendents of police will strictly enforce the lockdown; no interdistrict travel will be allowed until April 20. Pool testing of samples, which entails testing for the coronavirus in batches will start from Wednesday. All migrant workers in quarantine will be screened for Covid-19 before they are allowed to leave.

MADHYA PRADESH

Authorities will seal 564 localities in 278 containment areas in 22 districts from where most Covid-19 cases have been reported. Those violating lockdown norms will be booked, said commissioner, health services, Faiz Ahmad Kidwai. Testing of migrant labourers will be expanded. Manual work under the rural job guarantee scheme has been allowed in districts not affected by the coronavirus disease, and workers given homemade face masks.

HARYANA

Haryana’s four Covid hot spots--Nuh,Palwal,GurugramandFaridabad--fallintheNationalCapital

Region.Eightypercentofthestate’s active Covid-19 cases have been reported from the four districts. CMMLKhattarsaidindustrialand economicactivitywillbestartedin a phased manner after April 14.

PUNJAB

Punjab will continue with a strict containment strategy and will come out with detailed guidelines after the Centre’s notification on

TELANGANA

The Telagana government has decidedtokeeponlyonerouteopen in containment zones and start home delivery of household supplies in Hyderabad. Any person suspectedofcarryingtheviruswill be hospitalised immediately, said minister KT Rama Rao.

NORTHEAST

Assam will wait till Centre’s guidelines on lockdown relaxations. Meghalaya has decided to track 2,000 contacts of the state’s first Covid patient. Tripura announced additional benefits for the poor.