ICMR asks states to impose protocol for tourists over fears of Covid-19 3rd wave

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Monday warned the third wave of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) could peak during the festival season and may occur two weeks earlier than previously estimated.

The top biomedical research agency has asked states with tourists hotspots, such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and those in the northeast, to enforce protocol necessitated to check the spread of Covid-19  infection strictly and make vaccination certificates and RT-PCR tests mandatory, Hindustan Times' sister publication LiveMint reported.

The ICMR observed that that ‘second wave’ of the Covid-19 pandemic that struck India in April was severe, but showed varying impact in different states. It noted that smaller states with rarefied population witnessed not only less intense spread of the deadly virus than was witnessed at the national level, but also contributed in slowing down the attainment of the second peak.

Amongst these ‘smaller states’ are popular tourist destinations such as Himachal Pradesh and Assam, that are currently seeing an upsurge of visitors from elsewhere in the country, the ICMR said.

The ICMR said even though no national guideline exists on restrictions regarding domestic travel it may be helpful for states with holiday destinations to receive guidance on how they could best mitigate travel-related risks.

“These observations indicate increasing opportunities for transmission in areas where population-level immunity has not yet accumulated to the same levels as elsewhere in the country. Against a backdrop of increasing anticipation of a third wave of covid-19 in India, it is important to recognize the potential risks associated with such an escalation in travel," the ICMR said.

After taking mathematical models into account that chart the course of pandemic in future, the ICMR warned that a sudden increase in population density due to incoming tourists or mass congregation due to social, political or religious reasons can worsen the third-wave scenario, LiveMint reported.

Clearly making it important for tourist destination states to demand evidence of a recent covid-19 negative test or vaccination certificates, the ICMR said that vaccine status could also play an important role in eligibility to travel, with some caveats.

The recommendations prepared by Dr Balram Bhargava, director general, ICMR and Dr Samiran Panda, head, epidemiology and communicable diseases, ICMR were also published in the International Journal of Travel Medicine published by Oxford University Press. The ICMR has recommended that people instead of doing revenge travel should do responsible travel.

“First, ‘vaccine passports’ have limitations, arising from uncertainties about how the nature and strength of vaccine-induced immunity would change over time. Second, despite being the world’s largest producer of covid-19 vaccines, India also faces the challenge of having the world’s second-largest population to vaccinate; it is estimated that roughly 20% of India’s eligible population has been fully vaccinated," said the ICMR. The country has administered over 91 crore doses of covid-19 vaccines so far.

At least 20,799 new coronavirus cases were reported in the last 24 hours. The active caseload is presently 2,64,458, which is the lowest in 200 days. Active cases presently constitute 0.78% of the country's total positive cases. The daily positivity rate was reported to be 2.10%. The daily positivity rate has remained below 3% for the last 35 days and below 5% for 118 consecutive days now, according to the union health ministry data.

The scientists further said that it will also be important to maintain surveillance in at-risk settings, ensuring that virological testing is maintained even in periods of apparent low infection activity.

In addition, information on genomic surveillance in other countries and vigil at international airports will be valuable for early identification of hitherto unrecognized variants that could later gain a foothold across the country, the ICMR said.

“There are undoubtedly important benefits as society gradually returns to normal, in India and elsewhere; domestic travel to holiday destinations provides benefits not just for visitors, but also for local economies that have been under considerable stress for over a year," the recommendations said.

“Nonetheless, with the possibility of a severe third wave in India still looming, it remains critical to recognize and mitigate the risks involved. A shared sense of responsibility, amongst visitors, residents and local authorities, will go a long way towards protecting the welfare of the country as a whole," it said.