COURTESY HT NOV 26

Consultations a must for lockdowns: MHA
New Delhi : States and Union Territories (UTs) may impose local restrictions such as night curfews in order to curb the spread of Covid-19, but they will have to consult the central government before imposing a lockdown outside containment zones, the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) said in new guidelines released on Wednesday.

The standard operating procedures (SOPs), applicable for December, did not bring about any major changes or impose any significant restrictions. Instead, they focused on “Surveillance, Containment and Caution”, and aimed at consolidating “the substantial gains that have been achieved against the spread of Covid-19”.

The guidelines said that states and UTs “shall consider implementing staggered office timings and other suitable measures” in order to reduce the number of employees attending office at the same time in cities where the weekly case positivity rate — proportion of samples found positive for the Covid-19 — is more than 10%. The MHA document also laid stress on Covid-19-appropriate behaviour, asking states and UTs to consider actions, including levying fines on those not wearing masks in public and work spaces.