At a Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meeting chaired by Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to discuss the pandemic situation in the capital, a Graded Response Action Plan was passed here on Friday.
After deliberations, and presentations made by the Health Department and the Indian Council of Medical Research, it was decided to notify the response plan that will “objectively and transparently” ensure an “institutional and automatic” response with regards to enforcement measures, lockdowns and unlock activities, an expert present at the meeting said.
The plan, the Delhi government stated, was prepared in comparison with “ascent data of the four waves at specific positivity rates of 0.5%, 1%, 2% and 5%, respectively, and also considered on the basis of the earlier four waves”.
Activities under various categories will now be allowed or restricted based on the cumulative positivity rate, the number of cases, and the occupancy of oxygenated beds in the city either being breached or receding from a defined threshold.
“This graded response action plan is of extreme importance. There will be a sense of certainty and accountability on our part towards the people of Delhi. The plan descriptively elaborates upon when the lockdown will be imposed and when it will be lifted,” Mr. Kejriwal was quoted as having said at the meeting.
Concerns arising out of new variants like Delta Plus and LAMBDA were discussed at length, and measures like vaccination, genome sequencing, testing, tracking and surveillance were suggested as the most effective steps to mitigate their spread, according to experts present in the meeting.
An expert said it was felt that the guard against the virus could not be let down and grave concerns were expressed over the flouting of COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and negligence.
“It was stressed that apart from enforcement efforts on part of various agencies, the onus of ensuring and enforcing COVID Appropriate Behaviour lay with stakeholder organisations like MTAs (market traders' associations) and RWAs (resident welfare associations) as well,” an expert present in the meeting said.
The issue of people travelling in large numbers to tourist destinations and violating COVID-related guidelines was also flagged as an area of concern. The need for ICU bed capacity of 12,000, sufficient oxygen, drugs and ambulances was also stressed.
“The preparations are going really well. So, I would like to thank all the experts who have been holding our hand and steering ahead the preparation of this roadmap. A huge thanks to them,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
