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No public gatherings on Holi as Covid cases spike, orders DDMA
The 1,101 cases added on Tuesday were the highest since December 19. New cases in a single day have not been more than 1,000 since December 24.
Celebrations and gatherings at public places and religious sites in the Capital are banned for Holi, Navaratri and Shab-e-Barat, and people arriving at the airport, train stations and bus terminals will be randomly tested, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) ordered on Tuesday as the resurgence in the Covid-19 outbreak continued, with the city adding the highest number of new cases in more than three months.
The 1,101 cases added on Tuesday were the highest since December 19. New cases in a single day have not been more than 1,000 since December 24.
“It is anticipated that gatherings, congregations and public celebrations during upcoming festivals like Holi, Shab-e-Barat, Navratri, etc. may pose a considerable threat of spread of virus and may cause setback to the appreciable gains made in the suppression of chain of transmission of Covid-19 cases in Delhi. Considering this, it has been decided that public celebrations and all gatherings/congregations during upcoming festivals should not be allowed in public places,” said the order signed by chief secretary Vijay Dev.
In Delhi, the DDMA order was flagged by various district administrations for more clarity as it did not state whether celebrations inside clubs, resorts and farmhouses will be allowed. “Clarity on this will be given on Wednesday. The matter has been raised to the DDMA,” said a senior government official, asking not to be named.
Private parties in houses and private lawns will be allowed.
The chief secretary issued a second order directing district health officials to start random testing of passengers coming from states that have seen a spike in Covid-19 cases.
“All district disaster management authorities shall conduct random testing (RAT/RT-PCR) of passengers coming from the states where Covid-19 cases are increasing, at all airports, railway stations, inter-state bus terminals (ISBT) and other alighting points (for private buses) in NCT of Delhi,” the order stated.
In a third order issued by divisional commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar late on Tuesday night, DDMA directed all DMs to intensify vaccination and crack down on those not adhering to Covid-appropriate behaviour.
“There are several super-spreader areas like weekly markets, cinema, malls, metro services, religious places, etc. All the DMs should greatly intensify their enforcement efforts and awareness campaigns in these areas. Areas where sero surveillance is low should also be targeted with more intensive efforts,” read the order.
DDMA asked the district teams to ensure samples are taken randomly at alighting points. “After collection of samples, the travellers would be allowed to exit. However, those passengers who are found positive, shall be mandatorily quarantined or isolated,” it said.
District health teams will have to ensure that records of all such passengers are maintained, and surveillance, tracking and tracing is conducted as per the State Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (State IDSP) protocols.
The district magistrates and DCPs have been asked to adequately inform and sensitise the field functionaries for strict compliance in letter and spirit.
