Updated: November 25, 2020 7:35:28 pm
Crowd at Chandpole Bazar in Jaipur, November 21, 2020. Some states have imposed curfews in major cities and other areas affected by Covid (Photo by PTI).
Noting the recent increase in novel cases in some states and Union territories, the Center on Wednesday issued a new set of guidelines to strictly implement prescribed containment rules and appropriate Covid behavior by states / UTs. The guidelines will go into effect on December 1 and will remain in effect until December 31.
The guidelines come when UT / states like Maharashtra and Delhi have registered a peak in Covid cases due to increased footfalls in public places during festival season. States like Gujarat Y Punjab they have imposed night curfews in major cities and other affected areas.
The Interior Ministry (MHA) said that the responsibility for implementing containment measures would lie strictly with the local district, police and municipal authorities. States and UT, based on their assessment of the situation, may impose local restrictions such as a night curfew to contain the spread of Covid-19, the ministry said. However, state governments should consult with the central government regarding the imposition of any local closures outside of the buffer zones. The guidelines also called for increased vigilance in containment zones.
These are the activities allowed inside / outside the containment zones:
* Only essential activities will be allowed in containment zones.
* There will be a strict perimeter control to ensure that there is no movement of people in or out of these areas, except for medical emergencies and to maintain the supply of essential goods and services.
* There will be intensive house-to-house surveillance by surveillance teams trained for this purpose.
* The tests will be performed according to the prescribed protocol.
* Contact listing will be conducted for all individuals who test positive, along with their tracking, identification, quarantine, and contact tracking for 14 days (80 percent of contacts will be traced within 72 hours).
* Prompt isolation of Covid-19 patients in treatment / home facilities should be ensured (subject to adherence to home isolation guidelines).
* Clinical interventions will be administered as prescribed.
* Surveillance of ILI / SARI cases will be carried out in health facilities or mobile extension units or through fever clinics in buffer zones.
* Awareness will be raised in communities about appropriate Covid-19 behavior.
Read | Night curfews, restrictions in some northern and central states; the south sees dip
In addition to this, the guidelines emphasized the strict application of the use of face masks, hand hygiene and social distancing, from which states can take appropriate actions such as imposing fines on defaulters.
The Ministry also said that it will soon issue POE for the observance of social distancing in crowded places, especially in markets, weekly bazaars and public transport, which will be strictly enforced by the states and UT.
States and UT must also enforce social distancing at offices. In cities, where the weekly rate of positive cases is higher than 10 percent, interested States and UTs should consider the implementation of staggered office hours and other appropriate measures, with a view to reducing the number of employees attending the office at the same time, thus ensuring social distancing.
Read also | From Vaccine Prep to Need for Funding: What States Said to Prime Minister Modi
The ministry said that all activities outside the containment zones will be allowed, highlighting some that are yet to be suspended or restricted for now.
The following are shown below:
* International passenger air travel, as permitted by MHA.
* Movie theaters and theaters, with up to 50 percent capacity.
* Pools, only for athletes training.
* Showrooms, for business-to-business (B2B) purposes only.
* Social / religious / sports / entertainment / educational / cultural / religious gatherings, with up to a maximum of 50 percent of the room capacity, with a ceiling of 200 people in closed spaces; and keep the size of the land / space in sight, in open spaces.
However, based on their assessment of the situation, state / UT governments may lower the maximum limit to 100 people or less, indoors.
The ministry, however, said there will be no restrictions on the interstate and intrastate movement of people and goods, including those destined for cross-border trade under treaties with neighboring countries. No separate electronic permission / approval / permit will be required for such moves, the ministry said in the guidelines.
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