Consequent upon the testing of a resident of Sankoo village as COVID-19 positive, District Magistrate, Kargil vide an order issued on March 17 notified Containment and Buffer zone.

According to the map, Containment zone comprises Sub Divisional Headquarter Sankoo, Thangdumbur and Naqmakosar villages and Narambee hamlet of Lankarchay village. Under Buffer zone, villages included are Lankarchay, Brakoo, Thasgam, Sangrah and Karpokhar villages besides Stakpa and Umba villages.

The order reads that the objective of the notification of this Containment zone is to stop the transmission, morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19. The whole of Containment Zone shall be divided into sectors for the ASHAs, Anganwadi Workers and ANMs who will be performing active house to house surveillance on daily basis from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM to identify persons with acute respiratory symptoms and influenza-like illness in the zone.

According to the order, for the purpose of supply of essential/non-essential commodities within the Containment Zone, a committee comprising, Sub Divisional Magistrate, Sankoo, Chairman (9419536718), Tehsildar Sankoo, Member (9469274937), Block Medical Officer Sankoo, Member (9622677737) and In Charge Police Post Sankoo (8492043117), member has been constituted.

The committee shall coordinate with the control room for any kind of demand and supply of essential/non-essential commodities in the Containment Zone as well as in the Buffer Zones on the numbers (Control Room DC Office, Kargil 01985-232263, Habib 9419176827 and Tahir 9622679469).

The order further states that surveillance activities including the review of ILI/SARI cases reported in the last 14 days by the District Health Officials to identify any missed case of COVID-19 in the community and enhanced passive surveillance for ILI and SARI cases through the existing Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) shall be strictly followed in the Buffer Zones.

Instructions have also been given in the order that other surveillance activities are to be strictly followed in the Buffer Zones to ensure that in case of any identified case of ILI/SARI sample should be collected and sent to the designated laboratories for testing COVID-19. All health facilities in the Buffer Zones will be listed as a part of the mapping exercise and all such facilities both in Government and Private Sector (including clinics) shall report all suspected cases of COVID-19 on daily basis in the prescribed format already circulated to the Control Room.

Furthermore, measures such as personal hygiene, hand hygiene, social distancing shall be enhanced through enhanced IEC activities in the Buffer Zones.

The order reads that all the offices (both Government and Private) within the Containment Zone shall remain closed till further orders.

All the officers who have been assigned duties shall keep themselves in complete readiness as per the guidelines and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the Administration of Union Territory of Ladakh, dated 10th of February, 2020.