Health department to focus on targeted testing, mask discipline to tackle rising Covid cases

Cases of Covid-19 continued to increase in the district with 714 new infections being reported on Tuesday. Considering several factors behind the resurgence of cases,

Cases of Covid-19 continued to increase in the district with 714 new infections being reported on Tuesday. Considering several factors behind the resurgence of cases, including mask violations, the state administration is planning to increase enforcement of wearing masks in the urban and rural areas of the district, along with the targeted testing.

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In a meeting with the officials of district administration and other government agencies, state government officials on Tuesday directed that strict enforcement of mask discipline has to be ensured by the urban local body, the police and panchayat.

Amit Khatri, deputy commissioner, said, “The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram(MCG), the Gurugram Police are the designated agencies for enforcement of Covid-19 preventive measures.” Another senior official, privy to the matter, said, “This time, panchayats are to be roped in. They will keep a check on people in their respective villages as movement has increased during the festive season.”

KK Rao, commissioner of police, Gurugram, said, “Challans issued against people for not wearing face mask is likely to be increased further, with a focus on congested market areas along with gathering in public places.”

For the health department, the focus now would be on more testing. Nearly 65% tests have to be Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and 35% antigen tests. Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer (CMO), said, “The department has been doing enough testing. Our cumulative positivity rate is still under 10% due to our high testing rate. The time is to educate people about Covid-19 appropriate behaviour.”

On Tuesday, the total tally of Covid-19 cases reached 36,153. Out of these, 5,567 are active cases, while 30,355 have recovered from the illness. With one death recorded on Tuesday, the Covid-19 toll has reached 231. Total cases in Haryana has also reached a count of 1,87,777, of which 17,421 are active. In the last 24 hours, 16 Covid-19 deaths have been reported across the state, with the total reaching 1,935.