'Promote online shopping, avoid unnecessary travel'
New Delhi: Concerned over the rise in fresh COVID-19 cases in some states, the government has issued a detailed advisory for upcoming festivals, including Diwali. As per the advisory issued by Union Health Ministry on Saturday, the states have been told to promote online shopping for festival celebrations and discourage people from unnecessary travel to stop the transmission of the infection.
In a letter to all states and UTs, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan asked them to strictly enforce the guidelines issued by the government regarding allowing festivities in a cautious, safe and Covid appropriate manner.
"No mass gathering should be allowed in areas identified as containment zones and in districts reporting more than 5 per cent Covid-19 test confirmation rates," Bhushan said in his letter.
"Necessary directions should be issued adequately in advance by the concerned state governments for practising cautions during festivities. Gathering that is allowed with advance permission and a limited number of people should be closely monitored and in cases of violation of Covid appropriate behaviour, necessary enforcement and penal actions should be taken," it said, adding that there should be strict adherence to limits on public gatherings taking into account availability of space to ensure physical distancing.
"The states/UTs need to continue diligent focus on five pillars of COVID-19 management, which includes test, track, treat, vaccinate and Covid appropriate behaviour," it said.
The states have also been instructed to keep a strict watch over the local trajectory of cases and institute timely and rigorous public health interventions based on the advisories issued by the ministries of health and home from time to time.
The states have been further urged to ensure that non-adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour in public places is dealt with strongly.
In the letter to all states, Bhushan said, "It has been observed globally as well as in many states/UTs in our country that unregulated public movements/gatherings without duly following Covid appropriate behaviour, especially in the context of festivities, have often led to an upsurge in the cases of coronavirus."
This is why it remains crucial for all of us not to let our guards down against COVID-19 in view of the upcoming festive season, he said.
India saw a single-day rise of 16,326 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 3,41,59,562, while the active cases have declined to 1,73,728, the lowest in 233 days, according to the Union health ministry's data updated on Saturday. The death toll has climbed to 4,53,708 with 666 daily fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.
Kerala has reconciled 292 fatalities on Saturday from the previous period. Hence, the death toll is higher, officials said, adding that 99 deaths have been reported from Kerala in the last 24 hours.
The daily rise in new Coronavirus infections has been below 30,000 for 29 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 118 consecutive days now.
The active cases have decreased to 1,73,728 comprising 0.51 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.16 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the health ministry said.
The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 101.30 crore.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met Indian COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers who said his leadership was a key factor in India being able to administer 100 crore doses of the jabs in just about nine months.
During the meeting, Modi discussed various issues including furthering the vaccine research, sources said.
Representatives from seven vaccine makers — Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech, Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Zydus Cadila, Biological E, Gennova Biopharma and Panacea Biotech — participated in the meeting.
Following the meeting, Adar Poonawalla of Serum Institute of India credited Modi's vision for the milestone and said they in the meeting discussed how to take the industry forward and prepare for future pandemics, to continue enhancing the capacity.
"All over the world now, countries are going to invest in vaccine production and India needs to stay ahead. We discussed how to do that together with industry and government," he said.
His father Cyrus Poonawalla said, "Had it not been for him (Modi) and (he) driving the health ministry, today India would not have been able to make a billion doses. There is no doubt in my mind about that."
The prime minister was happy that the assurance given by the Serum Institute that it will make India self-sufficient in vaccines at the lowest possible price in the world was fulfilled.
"The PM went out of the way and made regulatory people move very fast and they also cooperated," he added.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar were also present in the meeting.
