New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday asked the States and Union Territories to ensure that COVID-19 containment measures are implemented at the District level as per government guidelines.
In a letter to the Chief Secretaries of all states, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said the country has witnessed an overall decline in active cases of COVID-19, however, the new variant, Omicron, is reported to be three times more transmissible than the Delta version.
The MHA asked states and Union Territories to follow the normative framework provided by the Health Ministry advisory of December 21.
As per the advisory, Districts will monitor the Covid cases, notify containment zones as required, monitor hospitals, increase testing and intensify vaccination drives. The advisory also recommends imposition of containment measures if the positivity rate rises over 10 per cent for a week or hospitals have over 40 per cent occupancy of oxygen or ICU beds.
District Magistrates have been also asked to strictly follow the measures and recommends legal action against those who violate the rules.
As per the latest data from the Ministry, India’s total tally of Omicron stands at 578 on Monday, as the infection spread in the two more states Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.
