After MHA, Health Ministry flags ‘blatant’ Covid norm violations to states

A day after an identical missive by the Home Ministry, the Health Ministry Thursday flagged the “blatant violation” of Covid-19 norms at a number of locations, particularly hill stations, and reminded states and Union territories to make sure strict adherence to tips.
Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan Thursday wrote to Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and State Health Secretaries, saying the method of stress-free norms ought to be “rigorously calibrated’’.
Instead of this, he stated, “blatant violations of Covid norms have been noticed in a number of components of the nation, particularly in public transport and at Hill Stations’’.
Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla had Wednesday written to all Chief Secretaries asking states to keep up Covid protocol, pointing to a June 29 Home Ministry directive on motion to be taken for Covid-19 administration.

“Massive crowds are also thronging market places, violating norms of social distancing. Consequently, increase in ‘R’ factor (Reproduction number) in some of the States, is a matter of concern. You may be aware that an increase in ‘R’ factor above 1.0 is an indicator of spread of Covid-19. Therefore, it is important that the authorities concerned shall be made responsible for ensuring Covid Appropriate Behaviour in all crowded places…. as well as at all areas identified as hotspots of transmission of Covid-19 virus,” Bhushan wrote.
Any institution or market that doesn’t observe these norms is to be made liable to face motion, he stated.

Bhushan confused that the second wave of Covid isn’t but over and that vigorous testing must be continued together with identification of lively instances.
Echoing the Home Secretary’s phrases, Health Secretary Bhushan advised states and Union Territories to make the officers involved personally accountable “for any laxity’’ within the enforcement of protocol.