synopsis

“I am sure that under your continued leadership the States would continue to address the challenge of Covid-19 while minimizing its impact on lives and livelihood of the people,” Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote to the states.

With Covid-19 cases declining across the country, the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday directed states to amend or do away with the restrictions imposed amid the Omicron spread in the third wave.

Highlighting that Covid cases have been dipping since January 21, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan in a letter to states and UT said, “Presently, as the case trajectory across the nation is showing a sustained downward trend, it will be useful if states/UTs review and amend/do away with the additional restrictions so imposed after considering the trend of new cases, active cases and positivity within the state and UT.”

India has reported a significant drop in the weekly positivity rate — on Wednesday, it stood at 3.32 per cent, compared with 7.57 per cent reported in the previous week. “I am sure that under your continued leadership the States would continue to address the challenge of Covid-19 while minimizing its impact on lives and livelihood of the people,” Bhushan wrote to the states.

The Union Health Secretary further asked the state governments to relax the restrictions near the border so that “movement of people and economy is not hampered.” The states with a high trajectory of positive cases had imposed additional restrictions on their borders so as to control the daily positivity rates. With the “sustained trend of daily positive cases showing a downward trend,” Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan asked the state administrators to open up the borders.

They may also follow the broad five-fold strategy of Test Track-Treat-Vaccination and adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour.

The new directions by the health ministry come almost a week after it revised the guidelines for international arrivals on February 10. International travellers will no longer need to quarantine for seven days or get tested at the airport if they come from an at-risk country, according to the revised guidelines. The government has also done away with a repeat test on day 8 of arrival.