After two years of COVID-19 containment measures following the pandemic outbreak, the Ministry of the Home Affairs has decided to end all measures due to the continuous drop in coronavirus cases on March 31.However, wearing a face mask and maintaining social distance norms will stay the same.
The Central government had on March 24, 2020 for the first time issued orders and guidelines under the Disaster Management Act, (DM Act) 2005 for the containment of COVID-19 in the country and these have been modified on various occasions.
Ajay Bhalla, Union Home Secretary, said in a communication to the chief secretaries of all states that, over the past 24 months significant capacity has been built in or associated with various aspects of managing the pandemic, such as diagnostics, surveillance, contact tracing, and treatment.
In addition, the states and union territories have developed their own capabilities and systems and devised detailed plans for managing the pandemic, he said. However, the Home Secretary said that given the nature of the disease, people must ensure they remain vigilant. He said that whenever the number of cases increases, states and UTs must act promptly and pro-actively at local levels.
As for containment measures, vaccination and other aspects related to health, the states and union territories may follow the Standard Operating Measures and advisories that are being issued from time to time by the Ministry of Health, he said.
Picture Credits: Hanif Sindhi
