New COVID-19 guidelines issued by UP government
In the wake of rising COVID-19 cases, the UP government has issued fresh guidelines, under which district magistrates have to ensure testing of people coming from states with a high case load. As per new guidelines, people coming from areas where COVID cases are high should undergo Rapid Antigen Test; those coming from Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab will undergo RT-PCR tests if diagnosed with symptoms. The guidelines further stated that railway stations where long-distance trains are making a halt should have a 24-hour testing facility.
Source: Hindustan Times
54% caseload in MP from Bhopal and Indore
COVID positivity rate in MP state has increased by 4.3% and 54% of the caseload are from the twin cities of Indore and Bhopal, informed CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan on March 17th. A day before, on March 16th, a total of 817 cases were reported from across the state, the highest so far in 2021. The state government has imposed night curfew in Indore and Bhopal from 10 pm to 6 am. The government has also decided to ban the entry of buses from Maharashtra in MP from 20th March. CM has also directed the health authorities to ramp up the vaccination process and have set an ambitious target of administering 5 lakh doses in a day in each district.
Source: Hindustan Times | Business Today
Vaccine wastage highest in Telangana, Andhra and UP
On 17th March, the Union Health Ministry said that the average percentage of COVID vaccine wastage in India is 6.5%. Among states, Telangana is at the top with 17.6% wastage followed by Andhra Pradesh at 11.6% and Uttar Pradesh with 9.4%. According to the government, around 3.51 crore vaccine doses have been administered, including 1.38 crore for those above 60 years and those aged above 45 with comorbidities. The Prime Minister has also asked states to develop more vaccine centres across India and expressed concern over a rise in new COVID cases in some states. He further asked states to take quick and decisive steps to keep the emerging second peak of coronavirus in check.
Source: The News Minute
Read more: Struggling to book or reschedule a slot for the COVID vaccine? Read this
Pune: Municipal towns turns into COVID hotspots
11 out of 14 towns across the Pune district have been identified as COVID hotspots having 10 or more active cases. According to the CEO Pune Zila Parishad, the council authorities have been told to create micro-containment zones and carry out door-to-door surveys to detect positive cases and take measures to contain the spread.
Source: The Indian Express | The Times of India
Government schools in Gurugram with less than 25 students to be shut
The Haryana government has decided to shut state-run schools that have less than 25 students. The state government has asked the district administration to submit a list of such schools. According to government data, a total of 1057 schools have been identified which have less than 25 students. Out of these, 743 are primary schools and 314 are middle schools. Out of 43 schools in Gurugram, 13 schools have less than ten students and five schools have no students. Earlier, the state government has closed more than 2500 schools in three years.
Source: The Times of India
Read more: The problem of Mumbai’s ‘unrecognised’ schools. What are the solutions?
More than 65% work completed for Phase I of Ahmedabad Metro
In reply to a question asked in the state assembly, the Gujarat government affirmed that work on 6.5 kilometres (67%) of the priority route between Apparel Park and Vastral Gam has been completed and the metro is already functioning on this route. The remaining work is expected to be completed by 2022. The inauguration of the first phase was done before the general elections in 2019 by PM Narendra Modi.
Source: The Indian Express
Compiled by Rishabh Shrivastava
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