#Open with caution code#
#Open with caution Offline#

Offline classes can be resumed in academic institutions without any restrictions. He also underlined the need to follow the home isolation protocol for asymptomatic and mild cases, and asked to continue specific monitoring of high-risk cases.īhushan said gatherings and congregations - social, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural, religious, festival-related and others - may be resumed, provided that Covid Appropriate Behaviour is duly adhered to. In a letter to states and union territories, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan asked them to ensure sufficient availability of dedicated Covid health infrastructure as per the ongoing case trajectory and also directed them to fully operationalise non-Covid health services in all health facilities. The government stressed for continued focus on the five-fold strategy of Test-Track-Treat-Vaccination and adherence to Covid Appropriate Behaviour, while stating that a sustained and significant decline in the number of cases has been observed since the last couple of months.

Whether in the cities or the countryside, ‘Unlock 1’ must prioritise some actions: create public awareness that the virus is present, ramp up testing, provide health services, and intensively monitor relief measures.The Union Health Ministry, however, suggested necessary curbs in areas reporting over 10 per cent positivity rate or 40 per cent occupancy in either oxygen-supported or ICU beds. The course of COVID-19 in the weeks ahead is by no means predictable, and the Centre recognises the possibility of new rural clusters emerging due to large-scale return of migrants. This is medically sound advice, but cannot be done over a long period in big cities, as they cannot access goods and services at their doorstep, simply because they are classified as non-essential.

For the elderly, vulnerable individuals and children below 10, the Centre’s advice is to shelter in place even during the relaxation phase. Some sections, such as Dalits, women, and low-skilled workers are even worse off.

This needs to be underscored, as surveys of workers who lost jobs after the pandemic indicate rising hunger levels and missing financial support. Cash supplements should reach all intended beneficiaries. A genuinely universal PDS with adequate supplies of foodgrain, ensuring that no one is left behind, must be provided in all States.

#Open with caution code#

Citizens who have accepted severe curtailment of liberties during the lockdown can be persuaded to adopt a healthy public behaviour code using measures that are civil, yet firm.Įven with the easing of the lockdown, the severe economic contraction caused by loss of jobs requires governments to demonstrate as much commitment to mitigating misery as to containing infection. Half-hearted approaches to implementing the measures mandated by the National Directives for COVID-19 Management, such as those on face cover, physical distancing in public places, shops and establishments, spitting, and gathering in large numbers, can only worsen the crisis, especially with resumption of public transport. But States must show diligence in actively testing and quarantining individuals in cities with high incidence to significantly control the spread. Retaining curbs on big gatherings, such as in religious places, is reasonable, given the history of these sites unwittingly becoming super spreaders. Latest data since the virus surfaced in the country show that 13 cities, including some of the biggest metros, host 70% of the cases, and many of the earlier restrictions will continue there. ‘Unlock 1’ plan should ensure a careful restarting of activities, the most important of which is the delivery of goods and everyday services, including health services unrelated toĬOVID-19 infections. The Centre’s move for a phased unlocking of public activity after the rigorous lockdown since March 25 sets the stage for people to resume their jobs and undertake some travel. It is a truth universally acknowledged now that the severe restrictions to contain COVID-19 produced traumaticĭisplacement of the weakest sections, while the check on infection spread was modest.