A micro-containment zone has been set up in Baguiati's Ashwininagar, a 15-minute drive from VIP Road, following a sudden spurt in the number of Covid-19 cases in the area.

On Sunday, traffic guardrails were put up to demarcate the zone near the Ashwininagar post office. Police made announcements through loud-hailers asking residents on either side of a 200m-stretch not to step out except during an emergency.

The Telegraph reported on Saturday that several pockets in Baguiati, Salt Lake, Bangur, Jyangra and Kestopur were turned into micro-containment zones.

The board of administrators of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation decided to set up micro-containment zones following an alert from the health department on a rise in the number of Covid cases.

The cops also monitored the entry and exit of residents to and from the micro-containment zone in Ashwininagar. Outsiders, including vendors, were allowed till the guardrails.

“We are only allowing people to step out to get essentials. The limited relaxation is being extended to families that do not have any Covid-19 patient,” said an officer who was making the announcements.

An official in the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation's health department said nearly all houses had multiple Covid patients in home isolation.

“We are setting up micro-containment zones in areas that are witnessing an upsurge in the number of cases. We want to break the chain of infection by setting up such zones,” the official said.

The civic body and the police have given the residents of the micro-containment zones the contact numbers of officials who they can get in touch with to source groceries, medicines and other essentials.

“Our medical teams are also in touch with the residents,” said the official.

Shops shut

Two markets in Shyamnagar and Kankinara and all shops -- barring those under essential services — across six of the 35 wards of Bhatpara Municipality, on the northern fringes of Calcutta, will remain shut for three days from Monday.

The decision was taken after health department officials in North 24-Parganas alerted the authorities about a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in those pockets.