Centre reveals 5-step plan to tackle Covid spread

The Union Health Secretary on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting with 12 states and union territories - including Maharashtra, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Karnataka, Punjab and Delhi - to discuss the spike in Covid cases. Municipal commissioners and district collectors of 46 districts, most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, were also attended the meeting. At the meeting a five-step strategy - "exponential increase in testing, effective isolation and contact tracing, re-invigoration of healthcare workers (to counter fatigue after spending the past year fighting the virus and treating patients) ensuring the public follows Covid protocols, and targeted approach to vaccination" - was introduced to help deal with the increase in cases.

Bhushan also said that of the 36 districts in Maharashtra - the worst-affected state - 25 accounted for 59.8 per cent of all new cases in the past week. As part of renewed efforts to contain the virus, states and UTs were told to increase testing but increase the share of the more reliable RT-PCR kits to 70 per cent of all tests.They were also asked to ensure effective isolation of positive cases and prompt tracing of contacts - "... an average of 30 close contacts are traced, tested and isolated in the first 72 hours." The results of a study on public compliance to Covid protocols was tabled; the study revealed that only 44 per cent of the people wear face masks when in public. In line with this fact, states and UTs were urged to ensure people followed all Covid-appropriate behaviour, particularly in public.