Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued on Wednesday issued new set of recommendations for Surveillance, Containment, and Caution, which will be effective from December 1, 2020 and to stay in force up to 31.12.2020.
Here are the new recommendations:
- The primary focus of the Guidelines is to consolidate the substantial gains that have been accomplished against the spread of COVID-19 which is visible in the steady decline in quantity of active instances in the nation. Further, maintaining in view the current spike in new instances in couple of States/ UTs, ongoing festival season and onset of winter, it is emphasised that to totally overcome the pandemic, there is require to retain caution and to strictly comply with the prescribed containment approach, focussed on surveillance, containment and strict observance of the recommendations/ SOPs issued by MHA and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MOHFW).Local district, police and municipal authorities shall be accountable to assure that the prescribed Containment measures are strictly followed.States and UTs, primarily based on their assessment of the circumstance, may perhaps impose neighborhood restrictions, with a view to include the spread of COVID-19.
Surveillance and Containment
- States/ UTs to assure cautious demacationof Containment Zones by the district authorities, at the micro level, taking into consideration the recommendations prescribed by MoHFW in this regard. The list of Containment Zones will be notified on the web-sites by the respective District Collectors and by the States/ UTs. This list will also be shared with MoHFW.
- Within the demarcated Containment Zones, containment measures, as prescribed by MoHFW, shall be scrupulously followed, which involves:
- Only necessary activities shall be permitted in the Containment Zones.
- There shall be strict perimeter manage to assure that there is no movement of individuals in or out of these zones, except for healthcare emergencies and for keeping provide of necessary goods and solutions.
- There shall be intensive home-to-home surveillance by surveillance teams formed for the objective.
- Testing shall be carried out as per prescribed protocol.
- Listing of contacts shall be carried out in respect of all persons located optimistic, along with their tracking, identification, quarantine and comply with up of contacts for 14 days (80 % of contacts to be traced in 72 hours).
- Quick isolation of COVID-19 individuals shall be ensured in remedy facilities/ property (topic to fulfilling the property isolation recommendations).
- Clinical interventions, as prescribed, shall be administered.
- Surveillance for ILI/ SARI instances shall be carried out in well being facilities or outreach mobile units or via fever clinics in buffer zones.
- Awareness shall be produced in communities on COVID-19 proper behaviour.
- Local district, police and municipal authorities shall be accountable to assure that the prescribed Containment measures are strictly followed and State/ UT Governments shall assure the accountability of the officers concerned in this regard.
COVID-Appropriate behavior
- State/ UT Governments shall take all necssary measures to market COVID-19 proper behavior and to assure strict enforcement of wearing of face masks, hand hygiene and social distancing.
- In order to enforce the core requirement of wearing of face masks, States and UTs may perhaps take into consideration administrative actions, like imposition of proper fines, on persons not wearing face masks in public and operate spaces.
- For observance of social distancing in crowded locations, specially in markets, weekly bazaars and public transport,Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) will problem a SOP, which shall be strictly enforced by States and UTs.
Strict adherence to the prescribed SOPs
- All activities have been permitted outdoors Containment Zones, except for the following, which have been permitted with specific restrictions:
- International air travel of passengers, as permitted by MHA.
- Cinema halls and theatres, with upto 50 % capacity.
- Swimming pools, only for coaching of sports persons.
- Exhibition halls, only for organization to organization (B2B) purposes.
- Social/ religious/ sports/ entertainment/ educational/ cultural/ religious gatherings, with upto a maximum of 50 % of the hall capacity, with a ceiling of 200 persons in closed spaces and maintaining of the size of the ground/ space in view, in open spaces.
However, primarily based on their assessment of the circumstance, State/ UT Governments may perhaps minimize the ceiling to one hundred persons or much less, in closed spaces.
- For the data of all, the Guidelines enclose a list of 19 SOPs that have been issued from time to time to regulate the activities that have been permitted. These SOPs shall be strictly enforced by the authorities concerned, who shall be accountable for their strict observance.
Local restrictions
- States and UTs, primarily based on their assessment of the circumstance, may perhaps impose neighborhood restrictions, with a view to include the spread of COVID-19 such as evening curfew. However, State/ UT Governments shall not impose any neighborhood lockdown (State/ District/ sub-division/City level), outdoors the containment zones, without the need of prior consultation with the Central Government.
- States and UTs also require to enforce social distancing in offices. In cities, exactly where the weekly Case Positivity Rate is in much more than ten %, States and UTs concerned shall take into consideration implementing staggered workplace timings and other appropriate measures, with a view to minimize the quantity of personnel attending workplace at the exact same time, thereby making sure social distancing.
No restriction on Inter-State and intra-State movement
Protection for vulnerable persons
- Vulnerable persons, i.e., persons above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant girls, and youngsters under the age of ten years, are advised to remain at property, except for meeting necessary needs and for well being purposes.
Use of Aarogya Setu