Centre extends Covid-19 guidelines till August 31

The Centre on Wednesday extended the validity of the existing Covid-19 guidelines till August 31 as fresh infections continued to be on the rise in some parts of the country.

In a communication to all states and union territories, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said that with the decline in the number of active cases, states and UTs were reopening economic and other activities in a gradual manner.

“While the decline in the number of cases is a matter of satisfaction, it may be noted that the absolute case numbers are still significantly high,” he said.

He said the existing pandemic guidelines were being extended till August 31 and urged states and UTs to focus on the five-fold strategy of 'test, track, treat, vaccinate and adhere to Covid-appropriate behaviour' for effective management of the infectious disease.

The home secretary said there was no room for complacency and the process of relaxing restrictions should be carefully calibrated, as has been reiterated in his earlier communications.

Bhalla said the reproduction number of the virus, commonly known as the 'R' factor, is hovering just below 1 but is high in some of the states.

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Referring to his letter dated July 14, the home secretary said all efforts should be made to ensure that there is no increase in the 'R' factor.

“Further, strictest possible measures should be taken in the districts that are still showing high positivity rates. In view of the upcoming festivals, there is a need to ensure Covid Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) in all crowded places,” he said.

Bhalla urged state governments and UT administrations to issue strict directions to the district and all other local authorities to take necessary measures for Covid-19 management.

India reported 43,654 fresh Covid-19 cases taking its tally to 3,14,84,605, while 640 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 4,22,022, according to Union Health Ministry data on Wednesday.