The Centre on Thursday extended the directions given to states on Covid-19 management during the second wave till June 30 even as Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said containment and other measures need to be implemented strictly as active cases are still high.
Bhalla issued an order extending the directions contained in the directions issued on April 29 till June-end. The April 29 order had asked the states to identify districts where either the tests positivity had been more than 10 per cent or more in the last one week or where bed occupancy was more than 60 per cent. Districts fulfilling any of the above two criteria were directed to consider intensive and local containment measures.
In a letter to states and union territories, Bhalla said that strict implementation of containment and other measures has led to a declining trend in the number of new and active Covid-19 cases across the country, barring some areas in the South and the North-East
"In spite of the declining trend of Covid-19 cases, the number of active cases presently is still very high. It is therefore important that containment measures may continue to be implemented strictly. Any relaxation may be considered at an appropriate time in a graded manner after assessing the local situation, requirements, and resources," he said.