New Delhi, May 1: The Centre on Friday issued a list of rejigged red, orange and green zones in India based on the data of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The Union government has accordingly written to the states, asking them to relax or freeze district-wise restrictions - based on the COVID-19 hotspots they entail. Coronavirus Toll in India Crosses 35,000-Mark With 1,993 New Cases in Past 24 Hours, Death Count Rises to 1,147.

"Since recovery rates have gone up, districts are now being designated across various zones duly broad-basing the criteria," said Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan in her letter to the state governments.

The maximum districts in India are declared as green zones due to the low number of COVID-19 cases. Out of the total 733 districts, 319 are categorised as green, 284 as orange and 130 as red. Green zones signal the least threat due to coronavirus, whereas, the red categorisation indicates high-risk.

The updated state-wise list of red, orange and green zones, along with the names of cities and districts, was released along with the letter of Preeti Sudan to the state governments.

Check List of Districts in Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Tripura and Rajasthan

Check List of Districts in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland

Check List of Districts in Chhattisgarh, Assam, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh

"All States are accordingly requested to delineate the containment zones and buffer zones in the identified red and orange zone districts and notify the same," the Health Secretary has asked the states in her letter. "A district will be considered under Green Zone, if there are no confirmed cases so far or there is no reported case since last 21 days in the district," she further added.

"In buffer zones, extensive surveillance for cases through monitoring of ILI/SARI cases in health facilities has to be taken up. States are requested to delineate the containment zones and buffer zones in the identified red and orange zone districts and notify the same," the letter also read.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 01, 2020 08:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).