On April 10, the city of Bengaluru had two containment zones, but this number has grown even as more cases have been reported from the city.
The BBMP currently has listed 20 containment zones in the city. However, this doesn’t mean that everyone living in the ward will come under the containment zone: only the area 100 metres of the block with the reported case is classified as a containment zone.
People who live within the containment zone are notified by the local police with the use of loudspeakers. The residents in the containment zones are instructed to not come out under any circumstances, and that the administration will provide for whatever essentials they need.
Barricades are also put up all around the containment zones, to hinder smooth passage of people and vehicles. According to the BBMP, only emergency vehicles like ambulances and police personnel vehicles are permitted to move around in such places.
The wards which are currently declared as having containment zones are:
191–Singasandra, 504–Hoodi, 25–Horamavu, 93-Vasanthanagar, 18-Radhakrishna Temple, 57-C V Raman Nagar, 62-Ramaswamy Palya, 59–Maruthi Seva Nagar, 118-Sudam Nagar, 166–Karesandra, 171–Gurappanapalya, 179-Shakambari Nagar, 177-J P Nagar, 134-Bapuji Nagar, 124-Hosahalli, 107-Shivanagara, 135-Padarayanapura, 139-K.R. Market, 7-Byatarayanapura and 160-Rajarajeshwarinagar.
What does this mean for you?
There are certain restrictions for people who are currently in containment zones.
In these containment zones, there will be strict perimeter controls in the area of the containment zones to ensure there is no unchecked inward/outward movement of people from these zones except for maintaining essential services (medical emergencies and law and order related duties), and government business continuity. The guidelines will be implemented by BBMP and the local district authorities.
Though the government has announced a partial easing of restrictions in certain places without any reported cases of COVID-19, this will not apply in containment zones. "If any new area is included in the category of a containment zone. the activities allowed in that area, until the time of its categorization as a containment zone, will be suspended," says the guidelines.
If any new area is included in the category of containment zone, the activities allowed in that area will be suspended except for the activities permitted in containment zones (essential services).
To implement these containment measures, the District Magistrate will deploy Executive Magistrates as Incident Commanders in each Containment Zone and in the respective local jurisdictions. The Incident Commander will be responsible for the overall implementation of these measures in their respective jurisdictions The Incident Commander will issue passes for enabling the essential movements.
Any person violating these lockdown measures will be liable to be prosecuted as per the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, (NDMA) besides legal action under Sec. 188 of the IPC (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant.), and other legal procedures.