Tread with caution

Hyderabad: The Centre has asked the state governments to follow a five-fold strategy of Covid appropriate behaviour, test-track-treat and vaccination. It also emphasised the need for regular monitoring of Covid appropriate behaviour to prevent relapse. In a letter to all Chief Secretaries, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla reiterated that Covid appropriate behaviour includes mandatory use of masks, hand hygiene, social distancing and proper ventilation of closed spaces.

Bhalla said that easing of restrictions has led to the resumption of crowding of people in markets without adherence to the norms of Covid appropriate behaviour.

It is therefore necessary that complacency does not set in and there is no let-up in following Covid norms while opening. The Union Home Secretary asked the states to ensure that the testing rate does not come down. He said the situation was dynamic, a close watch needs to be kept on early signs of a surge in active cases or a high positivity rate. He called upon the state governments to see that a system to contain cases at a micro-level was put in place so that whenever cases rise in a smaller place, it is contained there itself. Bhalla said the state governments should keep a close watch on the situation and step up the pace of vaccination, to cover the maximum number of people in an expeditious manner.