Covid curbs extended till Feb 28 as positivity rate in 407 districts still above 10%, says MHA

With 407 districts in 34 states and Union Territories reporting a Covid-19 positivity rate of more than 10 per cent, the government on Thursday asked authorities across the country to exercise caution and vigilance even as it extended guidelines on the pandemic till February 28.

Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla shot off letters to state Chief Secretaries and UT Administrators urging them to issue necessary directions to the districts and all other local authorities to take necessary measures for prompt and effective management of the pandemic.

Bhalla said there has been a steady increase in the number of Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant and the active cases have increased to over 22 lakh.

Also read | Early signs of Covid cases plateauing reported but need to be observed: Centre

"Though a majority of active cases are recovering fast and a low percentage of cases are in hospitals, it is still a matter of concern that 407 districts in 34 states and Union Territories are reporting a Covid-19 positivity rate of more than 10 per cent. Therefore, looking at the current trends of Covid-19, there is a need to exercise caution and vigilance," he wrote.

Asking states to observe all precautions and not let the guard down, he said local administration should continue to take prompt and appropriate containment measures.

"Imposition and lifting of local curbs/restrictions should be dynamic and should be based on the case positivity and hospitalisation status at the local level," he said while emphasising the need for continued focus on five-fold strategy -- test-track-treat-vaccination and adherence to Covid-19 appropriate behaviour.

Bhalla insisted that the state enforcement machinery should "strictly enforce" the Covid-19 appropriate behaviour like wearing of masks and maintaining social distance.

With 2,86,384 people testing positive for Coronavirus infection in a day, the country's total tally of Covid-19 19 cases rose to 4,03,71,500. Latest bulletin issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday put fresh deaths at 573, taking the total toll at 4,91,700. The active cases have decreased to 22,02,472, comprising 5.46 per cent of the total infections.

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