Ensure that strict containment measures are implemented in districts with TPRs greater than 10%:centre to states
The Centre has written to 14 states and union territories, including Rajasthan, Tripura, Assam, West Bengal, and Kerala, requesting that containment measures be strictly enforced in districts where the COVID-19 positive rate exceeded 10% between June 21 and 27.
With the current trend of continuous drop in COVID-19 cases across the country, the Union Health Ministry wrote in the letter that it is critical to keep a close eye on the situation and take targeted district and sub-district level action.
“As a result, the flexibilities and activities that are authorised across the state must be done in a calibrated and cautious manner,” wrote Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan in a letter dated June 29.
Rajasthan, Manipur, Sikkim, Tripura, West Bengal, Puducherry, Odisha, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Assam were all addressed in the letter.
A broad-based framework based on test positivity rate and bed occupancy rate was provided to the states via the Health Ministry’s letter on April 25, 2021, to facilitate objective, transparent, and epidemiologically sound decision-making, Bhushan said, adding that this framework was also emphasised by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) order dated April 29 for enforcement by all states.
The health ministry emphasised the execution of graded restriction/relaxation measures and ongoing focus on the five-fold strategy of Test, Track, Treat, Covid Appropriate Behaviour, and Vaccination in a letter dated June 28.
“As a result, you are respectfully urged to guarantee strong enforcement of the aforementioned actions in order to control transmission and lower the positive rate in these regions.”
“Elements of the district action plan, such as case mapping, reviewing ward and block-level indicators, focusing on effective surveillance and quick hospitalization/isolation of positive cases, a round-the-clock Emergency Operations Centre and Incident Command System, and strict compliance with SOPs in the containment zone strategy,” Bhushan said.
Some of the districts which observed a positivity rate of more than 10 per cent in the June 21-27 week areBharatpur, Rajsamand, Baran, Chittorgarh, Sikar, Dholpur in Rajasthan; Imphal West and Tengnoupal in Manipur; East district, West District, and South district in Sikkim; Unakoti and Dhalai in Tripura; Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal; Mahe district in Puducherry; Bhadrak, Bhaleshwar in Odisha; Bhadrak, Bhaleshwar in Odisha
