18, Apr 2021 | CJP Team

The Government of Maharashtra issued this SOP for laying down control for confining the infection to designated areas, thereby stopping its spread. A Mirco Containment zone (MCZ) could either be a cooperative housing society or localities comprising more than one housing society, which has been delineated by the local Disaster Management Authority.

Strict Perimeter control is to be maintained by the authorities, besides establishing clear entry and exit points for this region. The Disaster Management Authority is vested with the power of restricting the list of essential goods so supplied in one zone, and it may devise different regulations for persons in different zones depending upon the seriousness of the Covid-19 infection in these zones. 

While the internal and external movement of persons in these regions shall be strictly monitored, only the Garbage Collectors, Private Security Services, are permitted to ingress from the outside. While maids and domestic workers may be allowed to work within a MCZ if they are resident inside the zone, swimming pools, gyms and common areas shall remain closed. 

The societies within the Notified Micro Containment Zones are required to make sanitisers and temperature measuring devices available at the entrance of the society, besides ensuring that the lifts and elevators are frequently sanitised. Areas surrounding the societies must be cleaned, while the members within the said society have the freedom to choose a medical practitioner of choice through tele-consultation. 

Notably, a violation of the residents of MCZ would make them liable to pay a fine of Rs. 10,000/- and a zone could be de-notified as a Micro Containment Zone after 10 days of having notified it, if no new cases were found in the last five days.

 Where these restrictions act as a concrete lockdown in the given region of a town/city, the livelihood of several residents staying indoors shall be gravely impacted, besides that of people who are dependent upon them for sustenance.

The entire order may be viewed here: