Cut public transport use, Centre tells states

Says 276 Indians abroad Covid positive I WHO test advice not applicable: ICMR

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 18

The government today pulled out all the stops in intensifying efforts to prevent further transmission of Covid-19 by asking states to minimise the use of public transport. This effectively means curbs on metros and bus transport.

With Covid-19 positive cases reaching 151 as of Wednesday, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways asked the states to minimise travelling by public and consider refunding fare for advance bookings by people to discourage travel.

“States and UTs have also been requested to make arrangements for sending SMSs to passengers for making them aware of social distancing steps,” said the ministry’s letter to state principal secretaries, secretaries (transport) and transport commissioners.

As of now, the Covid-19 transmission in India is at stage 2, which means all infections are imported or through contact with people who have come back from virus-affected countries.

The next step in disease transmission – stage 3— is what Government is gearing for.

“There is no evidence of community transmission. We have set up sentinel surveillance sites to find if the virus is transmitting in the community. Final results are awaited. All steps we are currently taking are to prepare our systems should we move to the next level,” Dr Manoj Murhekar, Director, National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, an ICMR institute, said today.

The community transmission stage is currently being witnessed in Italy, Iran and the US with cases and deaths rising exponentially.

India has not yet seen a surge in cases, a trend experts attribute to early travel restrictions, closure of borders, visa tightening and social distancing advisory which will remain active till March 31.

“The next two weeks are very crucial for containment efforts,” ICMR chief Balram Bhargava said today. Asked why India was not following WHO Director General’s Tuesday advice of “intensified testing” to fight the virus, Dr Murhekar said the advice was not for nations at stage 2 of transmission where disease is localised.

“We are testing people we need to test,” he said a day after ICMR released guidelines for private lab testing in preparation for a scenario where the community transmission might happen and the government asked private hospitals to ready isolation wards.

The government today also admitted in Parliament that 276 Indians stranded abroad are Covid-19 positive.

In a written reply to Lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the maximum Covid positive Indians are currently in Iran – 255, followed by 12 in the UAE, five in Italy and one each in Hong Kong, Kuwait, Rwanda and Sri Lanka.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Tuesday held a high-level review meeting with senior officials of the ministry, administrative heads of Central Government Hospitals and AIIMS and reviewed hospital management such as OPD blocks, availability of testing kits, personal protective equipment (PPEs), medicines, and adequate isolation wards.

The minister directed hospitals to ensure adequate availability of protective gear for healthcare workers and teams for regular inspection of quarantine facilities to ensure that necessary amenities and facilities are being provided to evacuees. “I will review the hygiene at quarantine facilities daily,” Vardhan said.