Union Home Secy Writes to Chief Secys, Stresses on 5-Fold Strategy for Effective COVID-19 Management

New Delhi: Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla today urged the Chief Secretaries and Administrators of State/UTs to continuously focus on the five-fold strategy for effective management of COVID-19 i.e. Test-Track-Treat-Vaccination and adherence to COVID appropriate behavior.

Bhalla urged them to issue strict directions to the district and other local authorities to regulate the crowded places and take necessary measures for the management of COVID-19.

In a letter to Chief Secretaries and Administrators of State/UTs, the Union Home Secretary said that consequently, an increase in the ‘R’ factor (Reproduction number) in some of the states, is a matter of concern.

Any increase in ‘R’ factor above 1.0 is an indicator of the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, it is important that the authorities concerned shall be made responsible for ensuring COVID-Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) in all crowded places, such as shops, malls, markets, market complexes, weekly markets, restaurants and bars, mandis, bus stations, railway platforms/stations, public parks & gardens, gymnasiums, banquet halls/marriage halls, stadia/ sports complexes (if opened up by the State) as well as at all areas identified as hotspots for transmission of COVID-19 virus, the letter said.

With the decline in the number of active cases, States and UTs have started re-opening the activities in a gradual manner. As reiterated in the earlier letter, the process of relaxing restrictions should be carefully calibrated, it said.

“However, blatant violations of COVID norms have been observed in several parts. of the country, especially in public transport and at hill stations. Massive crowds are also thronging the marketplaces, violating norms of social distancing,” it added.