New Delhi: With a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases and deaths in the national capital, neighbouring states have started exercising caution to check the spread of the infection.
While Noida has already started random testing at the borders for people coming from Delhi, Gurugram will start this from Saturday.
The Noida administration began conducting random tests along the Delhi-Noida border Wednesday. Of the 343 rapid antigen tests (RAT) done, 12 were found to be positive in the last two days.
On Wednesday, random tests were conducted on the DND (Delhi-Noida-Direct) Flyway and Chilla border, while Thursday saw tests being done at the Ashok Nagar border and near Botanical Garden metro station.
“Health department officials randomly tested 178 people Thursday, of which nine persons resulted positive for the infection. Eighty-four people were tested at the Ashok Nagar border, where three persons were found (to be) positive, while 94 were tested at Botanical Garden metro station, where results of six persons were positive,” according to an official statement from the Gautum Budh Nagar administration.
As many as 165 people were tested on the DND Flyway and Chilla border, of which three tested positive for the infection, according to the Gautam Buddh Nagar district officials.
Earlier, Gautam Buddh Nagar’s chief medical officer (CMO) Deepak Ohri had said if anyone is found to be positive during the tests at the border areas, they will be sent back to Delhi, while Noida or Greater Noida residents coming from Delhi, but testing positive, will be allowed but will be asked to follow Covid protocols.
“Only those testing negative are allowed to enter Noida,” Ohri had said.
Talking to ThePrint, Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate Suhas L.Y. said: “Random testing is being done in order to assess the spread of infection.”
“This will help in issuing advisories to employers and organisations, wherein a large number of people work and commute between Gautam Buddh Nagar and adjacent areas, so that infection can be contained to a large extent,” he added.
Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer in Gurugram Dr Virender Yadav told ThePrint they would start testing incoming commuters from Saturday.
Also read: ‘Lockdown fatigue’ behind Delhi’s third Covid wave, experts call for behavioural change
Reluctance to tests
When ThePrint visited Ashok Nagar border and Botanical Garden metro station where random tests were being conducted Thursday, several commuters showed reluctance to get themselves tested.
“Some are reluctant due to fear of testing positive, some claim they’re running late for work,” said Dr Mritunjain, a microbiologist, who was on duty at the Ashok Nagar testing point.
Not just commuters, even e-rickshaw and auto drivers were also being tested and they seemed the most reluctant.
“What if I test positive? Then I won’t be able to work. Who will support my family then?” said an e-rickshaw driver, who didn’t want to be named.
Another auto driver, standing next to him, said he was afraid to be hospitalised as he would not be able to isolate himself from family in his one-room quarter.
Govt officials ‘frustrated’ with people’s reluctance to tests
Reluctance to Covid tests was also dominant in Delhi’s key markets across 11 districts, where random testing began from 11 November to check Covid positivity rates.
Given how Delhi residents were seen stepping out in large numbers before Diwali, the government decided to conduct random rapid antigen tests in crowded markets.
But people’s reluctance to testing has left several district administration officials in Delhi “frustrated”.
Neha Bansal, District Magistrate, West Delhi, said: “There are so many shopkeepers who fear their shops will be sealed and refuse to get tested when our teams reach these areas.”
Another district magistrate, who didn’t want to be named, said: “It is a task of convincing people and while testing hasn’t been made compulsory in markets, the overcrowding makes it crucial for maximum people to undergo rapid antigen testing.”
Reluctance to tests is a global phenomenon. Last month in the US, several Republican senators had refused to be tested. Many parents across the world have refused to test their newborns. There have also been reports about people in jails refusing to get tested.
Also read: Delhi’s 3rd Covid wave brings back shortage of ICU beds, hospitals struggle to admit patients
High positivity rates in Delhi markets
Some markets in Delhi districts witnessed high positivity rates of upto 15 per cent this month.
In Shahdara district, Gandhi Nagar, Krishna Nagar, and Jhilmil markets saw a positivity rate ranging from 10 per cent to 11 per cent from 11-19 November. Some areas in Vivek Vihar saw a positivity rate of 12 per cent during the same period, which even went up to 15 per cent on days in the beginning of November, District Magistrate Sanjeev Kumar told ThePrint.
Markets near Anand Vihar Railway Station also saw 12-13 per cent positivity rate all throughout this week.
In the South Delhi district, which is home to a few crowded markets like Yusuf Sarai and Greater Kailash-1 M block market, positivity rate ranged from 5-6 per cent from 11-19 November, which went up to 8 per cent in the Diwali weekends, district officials told ThePrint.
In the South-West Delhi district, which currently has the maximum number of active cases (over 6,300), the markets have seen a positivity of 3.3 per cent in rapid antigen testing and 20-25 per cent in RT-PCR tests from 11-19 November. District officials, however, didn’t share market-wise positivity figures.
District Magistrate Vishwendra Singh said: “Our focus has been on increasing the number of challans against those failing to wear masks or not following social distancing protocol in markets and we will continue with that.”
In West Delhi district, out of the 16 samples tested from 11-13 November, 10 were found to be positive in Raghubir Nagar market. Out of 74, 18 tested positive in Rajouri Garden and 20 out of 81 samples were found to be positive at Jail Road market, according to district officials.
The officials also claimed the positivity rate in the entire district went down — 13 per cent to 8.93 per cent — from last week to this week.
They also said they have not been able to tally positivity rates for the market areas as they are busy ramping up RT-PCR tests in accordance with latest directions from the AAP government.
But a senior district official told ThePrint: “It is unfair to compare positivity (rates) since we are looking at a smaller number of samples in markets as compared to thousands across districts, so we share only absolute numbers.”
In North Delhi, the positivity rate in the entire district has been hovering around 9 per cent in the last two weeks, said District Magistrate Deepak Shinde.
Asked about positivity rates at markets, Shinde said they have not been calculating positivity level separately for market areas.
“However, we are ensuring that samples are collected daily from markets, especially Narela market, B Block market, Upper Bazar Market and Bhalswa market,” he added.
Asked about positivity rates for Sadar Bazaar market in Central Delhi, district officials declined to share the details. Sadar Bazaar, among others, was mentioned in the AAP government’s latest proposal to shut down a few markets, said sources in the ruling dispensation.
ThePrint reached Director General Health Services Nutan Mundeja through phone calls and text messages for a comment, but there was no response till the publication of this report.
However, a senior Delhi health department official told ThePrint: “We are keeping the interest of the residents of Delhi in mind when we order targeted testing at markets or suggest closure of few markets that could emerge as hotspots. We all have seen the visuals from these markets flashing on our TV screens.”
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday tweeted he will meet representatives of market associations to seek their cooperation to ensure Covid-appropriate behaviour.
Am meeting representatives of market associations today to seek their cooperation to ensure appropriate covid behaviour at market places. Market associations can play very imp role.
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 20, 2020
Also read: Delhi’s Covid death rate nearly doubles in September-October to 1.18% from 0.69%