Biggest spike in Covid-19 cases in Chandigarh during lockdown 4.0 - Hindustan Times
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Biggest spike in Covid-19 cases in Chandigarh during lockdown 4.0

ByAmanjeet Singh Salyal
Jun 01, 2020 11:49 PM IST

As many as 103 persons, about 34% of the total cases, tested positive from May 18 to May 31, though most were confined to Bapu Dham Colony

Chandigarh: The steepest rise in Covid-19 cases in the city was registered during Lockdown 4.0 as compared to other phases beginning from March 24 this year to prevent the transmission of Covid-19, calculations made from data shared by health authorities reveal.

A health worker checks people in a sealed area as Covid-19 cases spike in Chandigarh’s Bapu Dham Colony.(Keshav Singh/Hindustan Times)
A health worker checks people in a sealed area as Covid-19 cases spike in Chandigarh’s Bapu Dham Colony.(Keshav Singh/Hindustan Times)

The cases spiked when restrictions were eased considerably during lockdown 4.0, with public transport and public dealing in government offices resuming, markets opening and restaurants allowed to home deliver of food after nearly two months.

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Only 95 cases were reported in the city during the first two lockdowns – 21 in the first and 74 in the second – when strict restrictions were in place, and 96 recorded in the third phase lasting for 14 days from May 4 to May 17. The next phase, from May 18 to May 31, recorded 103 positive cases, or 34% of the total cases.

Biggest single day spike

The biggest single day spike of 29 cases also came on May 24, a week after the restrictions were eased.

Three areas , EWS Colony in Sector 38 and parts of Sector 52 and Shastri Nagar in Manimajra, however, were denotified as containment zones in this phase.

One interesting aspect of the last lockdown, however, was that cases were all localised in the Bapu dham containment zone in Sector 26 with only four of 103 cases reported from other localities of Dhanas, Sector 30, Dadu majra and Khuda Ali Sher.

Now only three containment zones remain, including Bapu Dham Colony in Sector 26, Kacchi Colony in Dhanas, and parts of Sector 30B.

Another interesting point to note was the surge in recovery rates after the fourth lockdown. From May 18 to May 31, there were 145 recoveries out of a total of 199 owing to changes in discharge policy of patients when asymptomatic and mild cases were discharged from Covid-19 designated centres without testing.

Earlier, only those with two results testing negative consecutively within 24 hours were allowed to go home.

Peak yet to come

However, according to Dr Jagat Ram, Director, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PRIMER), seeing the trend of the cases, a peak in the number of cases is yet to come.

“The peak may come anywhere between June and July, but that does not mean that everything should be shut. The virus is here to stay and to we need to modify our lifestyle to stay safe,” he said.

Completely unlocking the city will require a fine balancing act between humanitarian and health concerns.

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