‘Suspension of Intl flights extended’
NEW DELHI, Mar 23: Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in some parts of the country, the Centre today asked all States and Union Territories to increase RT-PCR tests, strictly enforce test-track-treat protocol and speed up the pace of vaccination to cover all priority groups.
Issuing fresh guidelines for April, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said keeping in view the fresh surge in COVID-19 cases, the new positive cases, detected as a result of intensive testing, need to be isolated or quarantined at the earliest and provided timely treatment.
The State Governments and union territory administrations should strictly enforce the test-track-treat protocol in all parts of the country, ensure observance of COVID-19-appropriate behaviour by everyone and, scale up the vaccination drive to cover all the target groups, the guidelines said.
All contacts have to be traced at the earliest, and similarly isolated and quarantined, it said.
India today recorded 40,715 new coronavirus cases taking the nationwide infection tally to 1.16 crore and the virus so far claimed 1,60,166 lives.
The Home Ministry said based on the positive cases and tracking of their contacts, containment zones shall be carefully demarcated by the district authorities at the micro level taking into consideration the guidelines prescribed by the Union Health Ministry.
The States and Union territories where the proportion of RT-PCR tests is less should rapidly increase it to reach the prescribed level of 70 per cent or more of total tests.
The authorities, based on their assessment of the situation, may impose local restrictions at district or sub-district and city or ward level, with a view to contain the spread of COVID-19, the guidelines said.
The Ministry said the Government of India has launched the world’s largest vaccination drive against COVID-19.
The Home Ministry said the local district, police and municipal authorities shall be responsible to ensure that the prescribed containment measures are strictly followed and state and union territory governments shall ensure the accountability of the officers concerned in this regard.
No restriction on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods including those for cross land-border trade under treaties with neighbouring countries has been imposed.
All activities have been permitted outside containment zones and SOPs have been prescribed for various activities. These include movement by passenger trains, air travel, metro trains, schools, higher educational institutions, hotels and restaurants, shopping malls, multiplexes and entertainment parks, yoga centres and gymnasiums, exhibitions, assemblies and congregations, the guidelines said.
Meanwhile, the Coronavirus-induced suspension of scheduled international passenger flights has been extended till April 30, Indian aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said today.
“However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case-to-case basis,” the DGCA added. (PTI)
Vaccine for all above 45 years from April 1
The Government today announced that from April 1, all people above 45 years of age will be eligible to get COVID-19 vaccines and requested them to get registered for the inoculation.
Briefing reporters on the decisions taken by the Cabinet after its meeting, Union minster Prakash Javadekar said now even people without comorbidities who are more that 45 years of age can get vaccinated.
He requested people entitled to get themselves registered to take the jabs.
He said the Cabinet also decided that the second dose of the vaccine can be taken between four and eight weeks, on the advice of doctors. It was allowed to be taken between four to six weeks earlier, but scientists have now said that taking the second dose between four and eight weeks gives improved results.
The Union Cabinet discussed about the vaccination drive which has already achieved speedy and good progress, Javadekar said. (PTI)
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