Wear mask in public, avoid crowded places: ICMR directive against Covid 19

A joint advisory issued on Saturday by the minister of health and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) directs the states to follow public health measures to check the spread of Covid 19.

The advisory wants people to avoid overcrowded and poorly ventilated places and use handkerchief and tissue for sneezing and coughing.

Further, people are asked to wear mask in crowded places, maintain hand hygiene and not to spite in public places.

The advisory asked the states not to rely on the ‘less sensitive’ rapid antigen test, instead follow ‘optimum testing’ to find out ‘emerging hot spots’.

While directing to states to stick to respiratory and hand hygiene, the advisory asked states to ‘raise community awareness’ to limit transmission of viruses.

“It is critical to maintain optimum testing for Covid-19, equitably distributed (with suitable modifications to address emergence of new cluster of Covid cases) across the States. This is especially important to identify any emerging hotspots and take pre-emptive steps to curb virus transmission”, it reportedly said.

The states are asked to ensure that doctors, paramedics and other healthcare workers are wearing masks.

In order to contain the spread of the disease, the states have to promote among people ‘testing and early reporting of the symptoms’ while limiting person contacts.

Since February 2023, India reported a ‘ sustained increase’ in the Covid 19 cases with most of the cases being reported from states like ‘Kerala (26.4%), Maharashtra (21.7%, Gujarat (13.9%), Karnataka (8.6%) and Tamil Nadu (6.3%)’.

The gradual increase in cases, according to the health ministry, requires ‘invigorated public health actions to contain the surge’.

Meanwhile, India currently sees a seasonal outbreak of influenza cases between January and March, also between August and March.