Festivals Can Derail Covid Containment If Not Done With Protocols, Centre Warns States

Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya exhorted 19 states to escalate their pace of vaccination so that India can achieve the milestone of administering 100 crore vaccine doses in the next few days.

(File Photo/ Getty)

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday warned states that COVID-19 containment can derail if festivals are not celebrated following protocols.

According to a health ministry statement, he exhorted 19 states to escalate their pace of vaccination so that India can achieve the milestone of administering 100 crore vaccine doses in the next few days.

Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya interacted with Principal Secretaries and Mission Directors (National Health Mission) of states and reviewed their progress of COVID-19 vaccination, the health ministry informed. 

The states of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal took part in the meeting.

Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya emphasised that the immediate milestone in India’s COVID-19 vaccination journey is the completion of administration of 100 crore doses, so far 94 crore Vaccine doses have been administered.

He noted that festivals that are usually synonymous with auspiciousness, joy, and large gatherings, if not done in accordance to COVID protocols, can derail the containment of the pandemic. 

“The twin-pronged solution is to follow COVID protocols very strictly and speeding up of vaccination,” he stated, as per the health ministry’s statement. 

The Health Minister cited results of experiments showing that the number of 1st dose recipients who did not develop severe COVID-19 was 96 per cent and further pointed out that the number increases to nearly 98 per cent for those who have taken both vaccine doses.

Observing that over 8 crore balance doses are available with states, he enquired about the specific hurdles which the states may be facing in increasing their pace of vaccination. 

States like Uttar Pradesh pointed out the comparatively limited supply of Covaxin and its shorter span between the doses as an inhibiting factor.

COVID Guidelines Amid Festive Season

Union Health Secretary Shri Rajesh Bhushan urged all the State health administrators to be strict in terms of ensuring COVID Appropriate Behaviour during festivities to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak. 

The following guidelines have been issued to the states and were reiterated in the meeting:

• No Mass gatherings in areas identified as Containment Zones & in districts reporting more than 5 per cent case positivity.
• Gatherings with advance permissions & limited people (as per local context) to be allowed in districts with a positivity rate of 5 per cent & below.
• Relaxations and restrictions to be imposed based on weekly case positivity.
• states to closely monitor the case trajectories across all districts daily to identify any early warning signals and shall ensure imposition of restrictions and adherence to COVID appropriate behaviour accordingly.
• People to be strongly discouraged from physical visits and intermingling.
• Provision for “online darshans” and virtual celebrations to be encouraged.
• All rituals like Effigies burning, Durga Puja pandal, “dandia”, “garbas” and “Chhatt Puja” should be symbolic.
• Regulation of the number of people allowed to participate in gatherings/ processions.
• Separate entry and exit points at places of worship and use of common prayer mats, offering of “Prasad”, sprinkling of holy water, etc. to be avoided.