The Union Home Ministry on Wednesday said there is no room for complacency in the approach to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic as the absolute number of positive cases is still significantly high.
Extending the existing pandemic guidelines till August 31, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla also said there should be continuous focus
on the five-fold strategy of ‘test, track, treat, vaccinate and adhere to COVID-appropriate behaviour’ for effective management of COVID-19. He also said there is a need to ensure adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour (CAB) in all crowded places in view of the upcoming festivals.
In his communication to all states and union territories, Bhalla said that with the decline in the number of active cases, states and UTs are reopening economic and other activities in a gradual manner. “While the decline in the number of cases is a matter of satisfaction, it may be noted that the absolute case numbers are still significantly
high,” he said. Therefore, the home secretary said, there is no room for complacency and the process of relaxing restrictions should be carefully calibrated, as has been reiterated in his earlier communications. Bhalla said the reproduction number of the virus, commonly known as the ‘R’ factor, is hovering just below 1 but is high in some of the states.
“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, district authorities in this regard, should be widely disseminated to the public and to the field functionaries, for their proper implementation,” he said.