Coronavirus: Contact tracing, house-to-house surveys to be stepped up in Delhi
Nov 20, 2020
New Delhi [India], November 20 : In an effort to control the spread of Covid-19 in Delhi, house-to-house surveys and contact-tracing will be stepped up in containment zones, said the Delhi government.
"Contact tracing was already taking place before this spike and is still underway at a large scale. House-to-house surveys will be conducted in containment zones from today to check on symptomatic patients," said Satyendar Jain, Delhi Health Minister, on Friday.
This comes amid a continuous spike in Covid-19 cases in the national capital.
As many as 7,546 new Coronavirus cases and 98 fatalities were reported on Thursday, taking the total positive cases to 5,10,630 and 8,041 deaths.
The government has announced various measures to contain the spread of the highly contagious virus. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said that the fine for not wearing a face mask had been increased to Rs 2,000 from Rs 500.
"In Delhi, a large number of people are wearing masks but still some are not. A fine of Rs 2,000 will be imposed on anyone who is found not wearing a mask at a public place. Till now it was Rs 500. If you wear a mask, there are fewer chances of people contracting Covid-19," Kejriwal said.
Covid-19 has a potential to transmit from human to human when an infected person is in close contact with another. The virus can spread from an infected person's mouth or nose in small liquid particles when they cough or sneeze. Face masks play an important role in containing its spread.
"There is no harm in wearing a mask inside the car also. Citizens should make it a rule to wear a mask every time they step outside their homes. If you're not going to wear a mask don't leave your house," the Health Miniter said.
This also comes after the Delhi High Court asked the Delhi government to come up with a concrete plan to enforce social distancing and the wearing of masks at public places across the city.
While the Covid-19 situation in the country seems to improve with fewer cases each day, the national capital continues to report the high daily numbers, with daily deaths hovering just below the 100-mark.
India's coronavirus tally crossed the 90-lakh mark on Friday with 45,882 new infections in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The total cases in the country now stands at 90,04,366 including 4,43,794 active cases and 84,28,409 recoveries. With 584 new deaths, the toll mounted to 1,32,162.
