Festival concerns: Centre extends COVID-19 guidelines for one more month till September 30

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said the overall pandemic situation now appears to be largely stable at the national level, except for the localised spread observed in a few states. He said that these states in particular must avoid large gatherings during the coming festive season

New Delhi: The festival season is just around the corner and the centre is naturally worried about a spike in COVID cases, something that has already been witnessed in Kerala post Onam. On Saturday (August 28), the Centre asked all states and union territories to ensure there is no large gathering and that they take proactive measures to check the spread of coronavirus.

Extending the ongoing COVID-19 guidelines for one more month till September 30, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said the overall pandemic situation now appears to be largely stable at the national level, except for the localised spread observed in a few states. The total number of active cases and high case positivity in some districts continue to remain a matter of concern, he told the chief secretaries of all states and UTs in identical letters.

According to the Union Health Ministry data updated at 8 am of August 28, 46,759 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the country in the previous 24 hours. "The state governments and UT administrations concerned, having high positivity in their districts, should take proactive containment measures so as to effectively arrest the spike in cases and to contain the spread of transmission. It is important to identify warning signs of potential surges early on and to take appropriate measures to curb the spread. This would require a localised approach, as has been mentioned in Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) advisories dated April 25 and June 28," Ajay Bhalla said.

The home secretary further advised them to take suitable measures to avoid large gatherings during the coming festive season and, if required, impose local restrictions to prevent such gatherings.

A number of major festivals, including Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga Puja, Navaratri, Diwali and Chhath, will be celebrated in the coming months. Covid-appropriate behaviour should be strictly enforced at all crowded places, he said. There is a need to continue focus on the five-fold strategy -- test-track-treat-vaccination and adherence to COVID-appropriate behaviour -- for an effective management of COVID-19, the home secretary added.
Adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour is essential for tackling the pandemic on a sustained basis, he said, adding that weekly data from states and UTs regarding wearing of facemask, maintaining social distancing, imposition of fines etc indicates a downward trend in enforcement.
"States and UTs are requested to augment their enforcement efforts for effectively checking transmission of the disease," Bhalla said.

He also said the country has made significant progress in vaccination and state governments and UT administrations should continue their drive so as to inoculate maximum number of eligible people. Further, the home secretary said, it must be ensured that areas having no virus or low transmission are adequately protected by progressively ramping up testing and other measures such as monitoring for ILI and SARI (Influenza-Like Illness and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection), and market surveillance.

"I would, therefore, urge you to issue strict directions to the district and all other local authorities concerned, to take necessary measures for management of COVID- 19. The officers concerned should be made personally responsible for any laxity in strict enforcement of COVID Appropriate Behaviour. I would also advise that orders issued by the respective state governments and UT administrations and district authorities in this regard should be widely disseminated to the public and to the field functionaries, for their proper implementation," he said.

India's infection tally rose to 3,26,49,947 Saturday as the number of active cases registered an increase for the fourth consecutive day, according to Union Health Ministry data. The death toll has climbed to 4,37,370 with 509 more fatalities being recorded, according to the updated data. The number of active cases has now increased to 3,59,775 which comprises 1.10 per cent of the total infections. The national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.56 per cent, the health ministry said.

(With PTI inputs)