Make officers personally responsible for violation of Covid-19 norms: Centre tells states

Home Secretary said Covid-appreciate behaviour is not being adhered to in public transport and massive crowds are thronging marketplaces

Alarmed at the blatant violation of Covid-19 protocols, the Home Ministry on Wednesday asked states and UTs to strictly enforce social distancing norms and make district officers personally responsible for implementing the same.

In a missive to state governments and UT administrators, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla cautioned against any laxity in implementation of Covid-19 norms, particularly at a time when test positivity rate was on the decline.

“Instead, during periods of low positivity, efforts must be stepped up to prevent any probable future surge,” the Home Secretary said.

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“It is emphasised that the second wave of Covid is not yet over,” Bhalla said, adding that blatant violations of Covid norms have been observed in several parts of the country, especially in public transport and at hill stations.

He asked state governments and UT administrators to issue strict directions to the district and all other local authorities concerned to regulate the crowded places and take necessary measures for management of Covid-19.

“The officers concerned should be made personally responsible for any laxity in strict enforcement of Covid appropriate behaviour,” the Home Secretary said in the letter to the states and UTs.

Any establishment, premises, markets and other such places where Covid-appropriate behaviour is not being maintained is liable for the re-imposition of restrictions and the defaulters may face action under the relevant laws, he said.

Bhalla also said Covid testing needs to be continued with the same vigor as it was extremely essential for an early identification of cases and checking the virus spread.

“There should be continuous focus on the five-fold strategy for effective management of Covid-19, that is, test-track-treat-vaccinate and adhere to Covid-appropriate behavior,” he said.

Bhalla cautioned against the increase in ‘R’ factor, which is an indicator of the spread of coronavirus.

“You may be aware that any increase in 'R' factor above 1.0 is an indicator of spread of Covid-19,” he said, adding that the increase in ‘R’ factor in some states was a matter of concern.