Make social gatherings safe with tissues, sanitiser, masks: Delhi health minister
On Saturday, Satyendar Jain said the number of Covid-19 cases has been consistently below 4,000 over the previous week
Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Monday urged people to take adequate preventive measures against Covid-19 if they organise small gatherings as he shared tips on social media on how to do that amid a decline in the number of infections in the city.
“If you are organising a small gathering or event, take precautions to prevent the spread of Covid-19 among guests. You should provide all necessary supplies: Tissues, hand sanitisers or soap and water, masks, distance markers, closed bins,” Jain said in a Facebook post.
Experts cautioned against indicating to people that things are okay. “These kinds of messages make people believe that the situation is better; things are returning to normal. But the truth is that over 3,000 infections are still being reported. Plus, we are moving towards winter when the incidence of infections goes up and [it] likely will happen with Covid-19 too. With the Unlock [easing of restrictions for social distancing] process in place, people have thrown caution to the wind, especially those who do not have comorbidities or are not old,” said Dr Neeraj Gupta, a professor of pulmonology at New Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital.
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Gupta added people must not be encouraged to flout norms. “If such gatherings do happen, they have to be monitored closely,” he said. “If people travel unnecessarily, they might spread the infection to those who are vulnerable and at risk of severe disease.”
Jain also shared a post about herbal remedies like chyawanprash, turmeric milk, and herbal tea made with basil, cinnamon, black pepper, dry ginger, and raisin to boost immunity.
On Saturday, Jain said the number of Covid-19 cases has been consistently below 4,000 over the previous week. “Over the week, the positivity rate has also reduced to an average of 6.5%. The hospital bed occupancy has also gone down a little, with about 6,800 people hospitalised. Over 55% of the beds earmarked for Covid-19 are vacant,” Jain said on Saturday. He credited aggressive testing and isolation of patients for the decline.