E-Paper
UP’s steps to contain Covid: No public function sans prior nod; school vacations from Mar 24-31
The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday announced a number of steps amid reports of a rise in cases of Covid-19
The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday announced a number of steps amid reports of a rise in cases of Covid-19.
Among these measures, the government decided that no procession or public function should be allowed without prior permission of the local administration. Besides, all the basic education board and private schools holding classes from 1 to 8 would observe Holi vacations from March 24 to 31. Other educational institutes not having any scheduled examination will also observe holidays from March 25 to 31.
According to an official spokesman, chief minister Yogi Adityanath convened a high-level meeting to review the Covid-19 situation and said although there was no ban on festivities, people should be educated about the high- risk groups in view of the coronavirus infection.
He said children below the age of 10 years and people over 60 years, along with those having co-morbidities, should be protected from taking part in such festivities. The Covid-19 protocol, use of masks and social distancing should also be ensured there, he added.
A nodal officer should be appointed at every village panchayat and ward level, besides a dedicated Covid hospital should be ensured in every district in the state, the chief minister said at the meeting.. He said the nodal officers will ensure that all those coming to their respective areas from other states were tested for Covid-19.
He said action for quarantine and carrying out RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests should be taken in all the doubtful cases.
Work on Covid-19 vaccination should be carried out with all sincerity, he said, adding that the officers should hold review meetings about Covid-19 at integrated command and control centres every day. He said there was a need to maintain a strict vigil on the Covid-19 situation keeping in view upcoming Holi and other festivals, panchayat elections and rising cases in different states.
He also said wastage of vaccine should be checked under all circumstances. Training institutes should avoid calling outsiders for training. Appropriate measures for security and protection from Covid-19 should be taken in the jails and accused should be produced in courts via video conferencing, he said.
