From containment to micro-containment The Delta variant

The crux of the matter is people should understand what is containment zone and what it implies. The Government too should understand what is contact tracing and what it implies. The department concerned should also understand the purpose of putting up the helpline numbers. The question is how seriously do the people entrusted with the task of manning the helpline numbers attend to calls made on the line ? Ask anyone who had felt the need to contact them or ring them up and one will get a fair idea of what is exactly happening at the ground level. Why not give another number to complain in case no one responds when the helpline number of dialled ? This is a suggestion which may be followed. Situation demands and this is the reason why the Government has now deemed it fit to move containment zones to micro-containment zones and hope the  people too understand the gravity of the reality. Isolate completely-this is the line that has been recommended for people inside micro-containment zones and the Government has gone one step further to strongly recommend that people in micro-containment zones should wear the face mask even inside the house. Nearby houses or neighbours should also voluntarily adopt self isolation and all these steps should underline the point that Manipur is today dealing with a much more transmissible variant of the coronavirus which is known as the Delta variant. The National Health Mission, Manipur has announced that all new Covid cases in Manipur are of the Delta variant and making things all that more uncomfortable is the report that at least 138 Delta Plus cases, another variant of the Delta have been detected in Tripura, which is very much a part of the North Eastern region.  The situation is deeply worrying and apart from the daily report of new cases and deaths is the high positivity rate that Manipur has been witnessing for the last many, many days.
In the face of the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus, the Government has also come around to the idea of suggesting that if a house is not suitable for home isolation of an infected person, then the positive person should be shifted to a  Community Home Isolation Centre or a Covid Care Centre. This is a point which The Sangai Express has been voicing ever since the second wave of the virus began to take a heavy toll on the people. As stated here, the Government will also need to study why so many prefer to go in for home isolation, even though the house may not be suitable for housing an infected person. And when the suitability criteria is raised then think along this line-does the house have a separate bathroom and separate toilet facility for the infected person ? A separate room for the positive person may be arranged, but it is important to keep in mind that this may not count for much if all the family members share a common bathroom or a common toilet. And majority of the houses in Manipur share a common toilet and bathroom. This is the bare fact. Coming back to the earlier question of why so many opt for home isolation, the Government seems to have picked up one important point in announcing that it will now arrange food for inmates at CHICs and CCCs. Steps which could have been taken up earlier, but nevertheless significant to note that this step has been taken up now. The Government may just revise the price for a meal coming in between Rs 100 and Rs 130 may just prove to be beyond the reach of many.