Centre extends Covid containment measures till Nov 30

New Delhi, Oct 28: The Centre on Thursday extended the Covid-19 containment measures till November 30. The order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and signed by the Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said, "In exercise of the powers, conferred under Section 10(2)(1) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Union Home Secretary undersigned hereby directs that the Order of the Ministry of Home Affairs of even number, dated 28 September 2021, to ensure compliance with the Prompt & Effective Containment Measures for COVID-19, as conveyed vide Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) dated 21 September 2021, will remain in force up to the 30 November 2021."

In a letter written to all Chief Secretaries of the States and union territories (UTs), Bhalla said that the existing protocols for curbing the spread of Covid-19 will continue till November 30.

Referring to the daily cases and the overall number of patients in the country were declining steadily but there were localised spread of the virus in a few states, Bhalla further said that Covid appropriate behaviour during the festive seasons must be adhered to as this pandemic continues to be a public health challenge in the country.

He also asked the states to speed up the vaccination and also inoculation of the second dose to the eligible persons.

The Home Secretary also said that there should be a continued focus on the fivefold strategies Test-Track-Treat-Vaccination and adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour to safely navigate through the festive season to avoid the possibility of a surge in Covid cases and also to check the positivity rates, the status of the availability of ICU beds in the hospitals under their jurisdiction.

A total of 16,156 new cases were reported on October 28 as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare while the number of the new cases remained below 20,000 for the consecutive 20th day. During this period 17,095 new recoveries have been reported and 733 deaths.