Just before the Centre extended the lockdown by two more weeks on Friday, May 1, the Union Health Ministry has split 733 districts across India into red, orange and green zones.

While a total of 130 districts across the country have been placed under the red zone, 284 districts have been identified as orange zones and 319 districts as green zones.

The updated classification is based on the cases registered, doubling rate, the extent of testing and surveillance feedback.

Green zones are those districts that have reported no confirmed cases till date or none in the past 21 days. Whereas orange zones are those with a few cases and red zones have a large number of cases.

‘Since recovery rates have gone up, districts are now being designated across various zones duly broad-basing the criteria,’ Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan wrote in a letter to chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories.

‘Since recovery rates have gone up, districts are now being designated across various zones duly broad-basing the criteria,’ Sudan added.

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: Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan pic.twitter.com/Vz3f4xbs6h

— ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2020

According to the new classification, metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai and Ahmedabad have been designated as red zones. States like Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh have 10 or more districts in the red zone.

‘All states are requested to delineate the containment zones and buffer zones in the identified red and orange zone districts and notify the same,’ Sudan said in the letter.

‘The containment zone is the core area and buffer zone is the area beyond the containment zone. The containment zone will require stricter measures like the house to house surveillance,’ a senior health ministry official was quoted by The Economic Times.

List of districts and their zones are as

1 – South Andamans – Andaman And Nicobar Islands – Red Zone

2 – Nicobars – Andaman And Nicobar Islands – Green Zone

3 – North And Middle Andaman – Andaman And Nicobar Islands – Green Zone

4 – Kurnool – Andhra Pradesh – Red Zone

5 – Guntur – Andhra Pradesh – Red Zone

6 – Krishna – Andhra Pradesh – Red Zone

7 – Chittoor – Andhra Pradesh – Red Zone

8 – Spsr Nellore – Andhra Pradesh – Red Zone

9 – West Godavari – Andhra Pradesh – Orange Zone

10 – YSR – Andhra Pradesh – Orange Zone

11 – Anantapur – Andhra Pradesh – Orange Zone

12 – Prakasam – Andhra Pradesh – Orange Zone

13 – East Godavari – Andhra Pradesh – Orange Zone

14 – Srikakulam – Andhra Pradesh – Orange Zone

15 – Visakhapatanam – Andhra Pradesh – Orange Zone

16 – Vizianagaram – Andhra Pradesh – Green Zone

17 – Lohit – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

18 – Changlang – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

19 – Dibang Valley – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

20 – East Kameng – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

21 – East Siang – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

22 – KurungKumey – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

23 – Lower Dibang Valley – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

24 – Lower Subansiri – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

25 – Papum Pare – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

26 – Tawang – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

27 – Tirap – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

28 – Upper Siang – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

29 – Upper Subansiri – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

30 – West Kameng – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

31 – West Siang – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

32 – Anjaw – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

33 – Longding – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

34 – KraDaadi – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

35 – Namsai – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

36 – Siang – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

37 – Kamle – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

38 – Lower Siang – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

39 – PakkeKessang – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

40 – Leparada – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

41 – Shi Yomi – Arunachal Pradesh – Green Zone

42 – Dhubri – Assam – Orange Zone

43 – Marigaon – Assam – Orange Zone

44 – Goalpara – Assam – Orange Zone

45 – Golaghat – Assam – Green Zone

46 – Karimganj – Assam – Green Zone

47 – Nalbari – Assam – Green Zone

48 – Hailakandi – Assam – Green Zone

49 – Cachar – Assam – Green Zone

50 – Kamrup – Assam – Green Zone

51 – Lakhimpur – Assam – Green Zone

52 – Kamrup Metro – Assam – Green Zone

53 – South SalmaraMancachar – Assam – Green Zone

54 – Barpeta – Assam – Green Zone

55 – Bongaigaon – Assam – Green Zone

56 – Darrang – Assam – Green Zone

57 – Dhemaji – Assam – Green Zone

58 – Dibrugarh – Assam – Green Zone

59 – Jorhat – Assam – Green Zone

60 – KarbiAnglong – Assam – Green Zone

61 – Kokrajhar – Assam – Green Zone

62 – Nagaon – Assam – Green Zone

63 – Dima Hasao – Assam – Green Zone

64 – Sivasagar – Assam – Green Zone

65 – Sonitpur – Assam – Green Zone

66 – Tinsukia – Assam – Green Zone

67 – Chi rang – Assam – Green Zone

68 – Baksa – Assam – Green Zone

69 – Udalguri – Assam – Green Zone

70 – Biswanath – Assam – Green Zone

71 -…