What constitutes red zones? Centre shares key parameter with states

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 17

While allowing states to designate red zones for COVID management going forward, the Centre on Monday shared critical parameters the district-level authorities across the country needed to follow while categorising areas for intensive ground action.

Health Secretary Preeti Sudan wrote to state chief secretaries detailing factors states needed to determine when designating red zones for stringent containment.

Sudan listed as critical (eligible to be called red zone hotspots) areas with active cases more than 200; areas with over 15 active cases per lakh people; less than 14 day case doubling rate calculated over seven days; more than 6 per cent case fatality rate; less than 65 tests per lakh population and more than 6 per cent sample positivity rate.

Areas, Sudan said, were “desirable but not critical” to be put under containment are — those with zero case or no case in 21 days; areas with doubling rate more than 28 days, case fatality rate of less than 1 per cent; tests per one lakh people more than 200 and sample positivity rate of less than 2 per cent.

As of today national case fatality rate from COVID is 3.1 per cent; case doubling rate is 13.6 days and sample positivity rate is 3.98 per cent.