New Delhi: Amid the unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases in India, the Lancet India Task Force has urged a ‘guidelines’ to reduce the quantity of infections throughout the nation.
The report titled ‘Country-wide Containment Strategies for Reducing COVID-19 Cases in India’ revealed on April 30, 2021, mentioned that the Task Force doesn’t imagine that there are binary decisions to be made, or that there’s ‘one single coverage choice of a whole lockdown’.
It mentioned {that a} sequence of actions are wanted and a few of these require closures, some require focused containment, whereas, others want efficient public messaging to affect particular person behaviors.
The Lancet India Task Force mentioned that ‘no state is secure till all states work collectively’ and that the nation wants a coordinated response throughout all states in a scientific, synchronized method.
“In areas where infections are spreading rapidly, short, severe closures may be required; where case counts are low, containment measures may be appropriate. Specific action may differ at the district level. But it is critical that all states act in unison, and as part of a coordinated strategy, spearheaded by the Government of India,” the report mentioned.
The Task Force additionally suggested that states and districts ought to be categorized as low threat, medium threat, and scorching spots based mostly on the standards it urged.
Complete ban on gatherings of over 10 folks
The Lancet India Task Force beneficial a whole ban on gatherings of greater than 10 individuals at any given place, in addition to closures of all venues that may host such gatherings for all medium threat and scorching spot geographies. They additionally included household gatherings in view of the brand new COVID-19 variants with increased ranges of infectiousness.
“We recommend that this ban be in place for as long as necessary to bring the epidemic to an end. For low risk areas, we recommend limited gatherings, subject to local situations, organized in the outdoors. We recommend continued closures of enclosed venues that can host such gatherings,” they mentioned.
They added that the expertise from internationally has taught them that superspreader occasions are triggers for waves of an infection.
“Large gatherings (more so indoors, but also outdoors) bring people together in proximity. Where people travel long distances to congregate, such gatherings help spread the virus as people return home, raising prospects of spreading infection along the journey and back in their home community,” the report acknowledged.
Closures of indoor areas
The Lancet India Task Force beneficial that every one districts within the nation that are COVID-19 scorching spots ought to instantly shut indoor areas together with places of work, workplace buildings, colleges, eating places with indoor eating, retailers, procuring malls and locations of worship. They urged that this ought to be achieved in a synchronized, coordinated method, for a similar, pre-announced period of time, so that there’s a systematic discount in cases within the hardest-hit elements.
They acknowledged that the coronavirus is now additionally documented to be an airborne illness, spreading most successfully in confined, indoor areas, the place the virus can flow into for lengthy durations of time.
“Confined spaces with poor ventilation, or air conditioning systems are riskiest for transmission. In those states where all the epidemiological parameters are high (COVID hot spots), we recommend the closure of all such spaces. Based on the experience of lockdowns from around the world, we know that such closures need to be in place for 6-10 weeks before case counts reduce,” the report mentioned.
Mandatory common mask-wearing
The Task Force referred to as for common, necessary mask-wearing in all confined, indoor areas in addition to outdoor, particularly in crowded areas.
They beneficial the use of well-fitted N95 (or equal masks) or double masking with surgical and fabric masks, particularly in high-risk settings and mentioned that the fabric masks supply solely partial safety.
The Task Force additionally mentioned that coronavirus spreads most successfully in closed, poorly ventilated areas and urged a sustained marketing campaign on the significance of cross-ventilation in all indoor areas together with places of work, retailers, transport hubs, eating places and so on.
To learn the whole report, click on right here
To see the whole guidelines, click on right here
