Ensure ‘calibrated’ reopening: Centre
NEW DELHI: The Centre on Saturday warned all states and Union territories against complacency in enforcing Covid-19 related protocols and asked them to monitor signs of any surge in cases.
In a letter, Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla said the easing of Covid-related lockdown norms has led to crowding in some markets and other places. He urged states to ensure the extremely important five-fold strategy of Covid-appropriate behaviour, and to continue the test, track and treat strategy.
“With a decline in the number of active cases, many states and UTs have started relaxing restrictions. I would like to highlight that the decision to impose or ease restrictions has to be taken, based on the assessment of the situation at the ground level,” he said. Bhalla said while the opening up of activities, after decline in cases is essential, states and UTs must ensure that the whole process is “carefully calibrated”.
The letter has come a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday, warned the “virus is present” and urged the people to remain cautious. He said the possibility of mutation is also there while underlining the second wave of the pandemic illustrated the kind of challenges that the virus may present. Modi said the country needs to stay prepared to meet the challenges.
The Delhi high court on Friday also took note of crowding and violations in Covid-19 protocols in markets and public spaces across the national capital and warned the city will be in “great trouble”.
The high court bench said if the flouting of the norms continued, the expected third wave may “hasten” its pace and “God help us if all that happens!”, pointing to a devastating second wave in the city during which daily infections peaked at 28,395 on April 20, and 448 deaths were recorded on May 3.
The runaway outbreak in April — the worst the city has seen in over a year of the pandemic — forced people to scramble from hospital to hospital for beds, essentials and life-saving drugs, while bodies piled up in crematoriums that were running out of space. The situation eased in early May as the Delhi government imposed a lockdown from April 19, and the state and central governments scaled up health facilities.
The court told the Centre and the Delhi government to take strict measures, sensitise shopkeepers, and hold meetings with markets and vendors associations, weeks after the second wave led to a scramble for hospital beds, essentials and life-saving drugs as bodies piled up in crematoriums that were running out of space.
The Centre has repeatedly warned of the possibility of a new wave of infections as states reopen after the second wave lockdown.
Bhalla underlined the imporof vaccination in preventing the spread of the disease. He said vaccination is critical to breaking the chain of transmission and asked all states to step up the pace of vaccination to cover a maximum number of people in an expeditious manner.
India has administered 272,072,645 doses of vaccines until Friday even as the country lags behind nations with smaller populations.
Bhalla cited the second Covid wave and added there was a significant surge in cases in several states and Union Territories. He added many of them imposed restrictions to contain the spread of the infection.
Bhalla added while the opening up of activities after a decline in cases is essential, states must ensure that the whole process is carefully calibrated. He asked authorities to regularly monitor the Covid-19 behaviour. This includes mandatory use of masks, hand hygiene, social distancing and also proper ventilation of closed spaces, he said.
“...easing of restrictions in some states have led to a resumption of crowding of people in markets etc without adherence to the norms of Covid appropriate behaviour,” he said. “It is, therefore, essential to ensure that complacency does not set in, and there is no let-up in adhering to Covid appropriate behaviour while opening up activities.”
Bhalla said a system should be in place at the micro-level to ensure that whenever cases rise in a smaller place, they get checked through local containment measures as per the existing guidelines issued by the Union health ministry.
WEDDINGS WILL HAVE A MAXIMUM OF 50 PEOPLE. STADIUMS, GYMS, CLUBS, AND EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS (FOR ACADEMICS) WILL CONTINUE TO STAY CLOSED.