Centre extends Covid guidelines till Sept 30

New Delhi: The Union government on Saturday extended all existing Covid-19-related protocols up to September 30. Noting that the overall pandemic situation in the country now appears to be "largely stable, except for the localised spread of the virus in few States", the Centre directed the concerned State governments to take pro-active containment measures ahead of the upcoming festival season in the country.

An official order in this regard was issued by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and sent to the chief secretaries of all states.

In it, the government said that the earlier order regarding the implementation of Covid-19 protocols, which was issued on June 29, will now be enforced up to September 30.

The Centre expressed concern over the fact that the total number of active cases and the case positivity rate in some districts across the country continue to remain on the higher side.

India on Saturday recorded 46,759 new Covid-19 cases, the highest single-day increase in nearly two months. Saturday's numbers indicated a trend that has been visible over the past week to anyone studying these numbers—a nationwide surge in cases driven primarily by a recent spike in Covid-19 cases in Kerala.

According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), the southern State now accounts for more than half of all the active Covid-19 cases in the country, followed closely by Maharashtra.

"The state governments/UT administrations concerned, having high positivity in their districts, should take pro-active containment measures so as to effectively arrest the spike in cases and to contain the spread of transmission," the MHA letter read.

"It is important to identify the warning signs of potential surges early on and to take appropriate measures to curb the spread. This would require a localised approach, as has been mentioned in the Union ministry advisories dated 25.04.2021 and 28.06.2021."

Pointing out the upcoming festive season across several states in India, the government further advised the state governments and UT administrations to ensure that there are no large gatherings.

If required, necessary local restrictions should be imposed in potentially crowded places, where people must follow Covid-19 appropriate behaviour.

"We need to continue focus on the five-fold strategy, that is, Test-Track-Treat-Vaccination and adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour for effective management of Covid-19," the government letter read.