The number of containment zones in the city was raised from 25 to 48 on Wednesday — more than half of it being from south and southern suburbs.
A Calcutta Municipal Corporation official said that like the earlier waves, this time, too, clusters of cases were being noticed more from apartments and housing complexes.
Some of the new containment zones — added to the list on Wednesday — were from Gariahat Road, Diamond City West in Sarsuna, several houses in Naktala, Raja Basanta Roy Road and Southern Avenue, apartments on Lower Rawdon Street, Lee Road, Sarat Bose Road, Maniktala Main Road and Narkeldanga Main Road, among others.
There were 25 containment zones in the list published on Monday. A civic body official said all addresses in the list would remain there for seven days till the last case was reported from those places.
“It has been noticed that Covid cases are more being reported from clusters where economically well-off people live. It seems that the reason behind the spike is Christmas and New Year gatherings.
Someone with foreign travel history might also have mixed with others and spread it,” said Santanu Sen, Trinamul’s Rajya Sabha MP and a doctor, who is also the adviser to the civic body’s health department.
Officials said no outsider would be allowed to enter the addresses that have been declared as containment zones. Police will install barricades outside the houses and apartments.
Local councillors, borough chairpersons and local officials of the corporation’s health department who will implement the containment orders.
“Domestic helps or anyone else would not be allowed to enter the houses marked for containment. But neighbours or relatives can drop food or other essential items at the doorsteps,” said an official.
A domestic help, working in many households of which one is infected, won’t be allowed to work any houses for the next few days. Those, who have not come in contact with the infected ones, even in the same building, will, however, be allowed to go out.
This time, the micro-containment zones list mentioned the floors and flat numbers. Earlier, it was difficult for the police to contain the exact area.