With the number of fresh COVID-19 cases touching the ominous 8,334-mark in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that all government and private offices would function with 50 per cent strength at a time.
“The state government is also encouraging the work from home module and has urged to implement a rotation system at the workplace to bring the transmission levels down. Also, if an employee serving in private sector offices turns out to be novel coronavirus positive, then he or she will be given a seven-day leave with no deduction in salary,” the chief minister said while reviewing the Covid situation on Monday.
Yogi directed officials to ensure that all government and private offices functioned with a maximum of 50 per cent capacity to avoid any chance of increased transmission. Describing the need to promote the work from home culture so that there was no inconvenience in work, he also directed officials to implement the rotation system in the offices.
In the review meeting, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said, “A total of 8,334 new COVID-19 patients were confirmed out of the 2.01 lakh samples tested in the last 24 hours and 335 patients recovered from the infection. At present, the total number of active cases is 33,946, of which 33,563 people are in home isolation.”
Meanwhile, to ensure adequate medical infrastructure and resources required to combat the third wave of COVID-19, the chief minister directed the Health department officials to provide teleconsultation facilities to the patients.
“People who have tested positive during the test at bus stations, railway stations and airports are being kept in institutional isolation. For patients, adequate arrangements, including food and proper treatment, have been made at quarantine centres. Nodal officers have also been sent on a three-day visit in respective districts to oversee arrangements of Covid tracing, testing, vaccination, hospitals, night shelters and management of cowsheds. These officers will review the functioning of monitoring committees in urban and rural areas and work to track, test and treat patients. They will also ensure that committees meet the targets of door-to-door surveys. They should also have adequate medical kits for distribution among those displaying COVID-19 symptoms or those who test positive,” he said.
The chief minister further said, “Besides, the Integrated Covid Command and Control Centre (ICCC) set up in all districts of the state should be kept active 24×7 and regular meetings should be held there as before. A panel of specialists should be present in the ICCC and teleconsultation facilities should be provided to the people.”
The chief minister said that monitoring committees had played an effective role in the fight against the pandemic so far and by activating them, door-to-door vaccination status should be surveyed and the remaining people should be vaccinated..