Center asks states to ensure festivals celebrated with ‘extreme caution’
The Union government on Saturday asked states and union territories to ensure that the upcoming festival is celebrated in a safe and vigilant manner with “extreme precautions” in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a letter to states and UTs, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the standard operating procedures issued last month should be followed to prevent any spike in cases. He said that necessary instructions should be issued by the respective State Governments sufficiently in advance to take precautions during festivals.
Here are the guidelines stated in the letter.
- No mass gathering should be allowed in areas identified as containment zones and districts reporting more than 5 per cent COVID-19 test confirmation rates.
- The gatherings which are allowed with advance permission and limited number of people (as per local context) should be closely monitored.
- Necessary enforcement and punitive action should be taken in case of violation of COVID-appropriate behavior.
- The limits of public gatherings should be strictly followed keeping in view the availability of space to ensure effective physical distancing.
- The States/UTs are requested to ensure that non-adherence to proper COVID behavior in public places is dealt with strictly.
The Center also asked states and union territories to explore and promote various modalities to discourage online gatherings, online shopping and unnecessary travel.
The Center said it is important that the district health officers keep a close watch on the local trajectory of cases and take timely and coercive interventions based on the advisories issued by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Home Affairs from time to time.
Inter-sectoral cooperation between health departments, law enforcement agencies, market and trade associations, civil society organizations and the community will be essential to avert any risk of a spike in the COVID-19 trajectory,” Bhushan said in the letter.
(with PTI inputs)
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