Testing, tracing to be increased in Noida

Both Noida and Ghaziabad are among 20 districts where “stricter” monitoring will take place in order to bring down cases, said officials. Weekend lockdown and night curfew will continue in both districts till further notice.

People giving the sample for corona test on thursday in Noida govt hospital. (Express photo by Gajendra Yadav)

As the Uttar Pradesh government eased Covid-19 curfew restrictions starting Monday, Noida and Ghaziabad residents will have to wait for relaxations as the two districts had 1,472 1,779 active cases on Saturday.

Both Noida and Ghaziabad are among 20 districts where “stricter” monitoring will take place in order to bring down cases, said officials. Weekend lockdown and night curfew will continue in both districts till further notice. The situation will be reviewed in a week’s time and a decision on relaxation will be taken accordingly.

There are nine districts from Western UP that have active cases greater than 600 presently. Administration in NCR districts will be increasing testing and tracing more people in order to break the chain of infection, said UP CM Yogi Adityanath.

In the last 24 hours, both Noida and Ghaziabad reported 98 fresh infections each. There are 449 Covid deaths in Noida while 436 people lost their lives in Ghaziabad, as per official figures.

Despite a high number of active cases, both districts are now reporting less than 100 cases – a phenomenon last observed prior to the second wave in first week of April. Medical teams will continue routine surveillance and tracing till cases come down below 600. A special testing drive had been launched in rural areas to identify more cases.

The Chief Minister has also issued directives to augment vaccination in NCR districts. So far, Noida has vaccinated nearly 30% population with more than 5 lakh doses administered. The Ghaziabad administration is also looking to vaccinate nearly 12,000 beneficiaries every day.

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