Explained: What are Centreâs new guidelines to states for Omicron containment?
đ´ The Centre has asked the states for the imposition of night curfew, strict regulation of large gatherings, curtailing numbers in marriages and funerals, restricting numbers in offices, industries and public transport.
Hospital staff continue with their routine work at the isolation ward prepared for Omicron variant Covid patients at Civil hospital, Asarwa. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan Tuesday issued specific guidelines to the states in the backdrop of âinitial signs of surgeâ in cases of Covid-19 as well as increased detection of the Variant of Concern (VoC), Omicron, in different parts of the country. These recommendations relate to strategies for containment and restrictions in districts reporting high positivity rates, including the imposition of night curfew, strict regulation of large gatherings, curtailing numbers in marriages.
First, the health ministry has said that if test positivity rate of 10% more is reported in the last one week, or, if the district reports bed occupancy of 40% or more on oxygen supported or ICU beds â district-level containment measures and restrictions may be put in place.
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Can restrictions be imposed by districts, even if the districts report less than 10% positivity ?
Yes. The health ministry has said that based on the local situation and population characteristics such as density, and keeping in mind the higher transmissibility of Omicron â states can take containment measures and restrictions even before these thresholds are reached.
Why has the Centre told the states to implement strict restrictions at the district level where the case positivity is increasing?
The health ministry has specifically highlighted that based on current scientific evidence, the Omicron is at least three times more transmissible than the Delta variant. It has told the states that the decision-making at the district level must be very prompt and focussed.
âBesides, the Delta VOC is still present in different parts of the country. Hence, even greater foresight, data analysis, dynamic decision making and strict and prompt containment action is required at the local and district level,â the health ministry has told the states.
What are the guidelines on containment measures?
It has asked the states for the imposition of night curfew, strict regulation of large gatherings, curtailing numbers in marriages and funerals, restricting numbers in offices, industries and public transport.
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âIn case of all new clusters of Covid positive cases, prompt notification of âContainment Zonesâ, âBuffer Zonesâ should be done, strict perimeter control of Containment Zone as per extant guidelines must be ensured. All cluster samples must be sent to INSACOG Labs for Genome Sequencing without delay,â the health ministry wrote.
What are the other guidelines?
On testing and surveillance, it has asked the districts to do door-to-door case searches; testing of all SARI/ILI and vulnerable/co-morbid people; ensuring right proportion of RT- PCR tests in total tests being conducted daily; and contact tracing of all Covid-positive persons.
It also urged states to ensure stringent enforcement of home isolation. âThis will be a very critical activity in the days to come specially to ensure that persons under home isolation do not spread the virus to others in view of its higher transmissibility,â the health ministry said.
On vaccination, the districts have been asked to ensure 100% coverage of left-out first and second dose eligible beneficiaries in an accelerated manner. âSpecial focus to be given to those districts where the first & second dose coverage is less than the national average. The door-to-door vaccination campaign needs to be strengthened,â the health ministry said.
Kaunain Sheriff M is an award-winning investigative journalist and the National Health Editor at The Indian Express. He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, an investigation into one of the worldâs most powerful pharmaceutical companies.
With over a decade of experience, Kaunain brings deep expertise in three areas of investigative journalism: law, health, and data. He currently leads The Indian Express newsroomâs in-depth coverage of health.
His work has earned some of the most prestigious honours in journalism, including the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Award, and the Mumbai Press Clubâs Red Ink Award.
Kaunain has also collaborated on major global investigations. He was part of the Implant Files project with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which exposed malpractices in the medical device industry across the world. He also contributed to an international investigation that uncovered how a Chinese big-data firm was monitoring thousands of prominent Indian individuals and institutions in real time.
Over the years, he has reported on several high-profile criminal trials, including the Hashimpura massacre, the 2G spectrum scam, and the coal block allocation case. Within The Indian Express, he has been honoured three times with the Indian Express Excellence Award for his investigationsâon the anti-Sikh riots, the Vyapam exam scam, and the abuse of the National Security Act in Uttar Pradesh. ... Read More
