Centre deputes high-level teams to 10 states for COVID-19 management
Feb 24, 2021
New Delhi [India], February 24 : The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has deputed high-level multi-disciplinary teams to Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir for supporting them in public health measures for targeted COVID response and management.
According to the official release, the three-member multidisciplinary teams will work closely with the states and UT administration and ascertain the reasons for the recent surge in the number of COVID19 cases. They will also coordinate with health authorities of the states and UT for requisite COVID19 control measures to break the chain of transmission.
The health ministry has advised states and UTs for regular critical review of the emerging situation with concerned district officials to ensure that gains made so far in COVID management are not lost.
"The Centre has also written to Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab and Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir which have been witnessing a rise in daily COVID cases, along with decreasing proportion of RT-PCR tests and rise in positivity in some districts," it said.
Health Secretary in his letter to Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir has asked them to focus on undertaking aggressive measures to break the chain of transmission and to ensure that RT-PCR testing is amplified.
These states and UT have been advised to increase testing in a focussed manner in the affected districts with the appropriate split of RT-PCR and Rapid Antigen Tests and to also ensure that all symptomatic negatives of antigen tests are compulsorily tested via RT-PCR tests.
"The Centre has reminded the states and UTs that any laxity in implementing stringent measures to curb the spread, especially in view of a new strain of virus observed in certain countries, could compound the situation," the official release reads.
The Union Health Secretary has also requested the Chief Secretaries of these ten states and UTs to provide time to these high-level central teams to debrief the respective Chief Secretaries at the conclusion of their state visits.
