MHA extends COVID-19 guidelines till Sept 30

The Centre on Saturday extended all existing coronavirus disease (Covid-19)-related protocol in India up to September 30.

Noting that the overall pandemic situation in India now appears to be "largely stable, except for the localised spread of the virus in few states”, the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) directed the concerned state governments to take pro-active containment measures ahead of the upcoming festival season in the country.

An official order in this regard was issued by home secretary Ajay Bhalla and sent to the chief secretaries of all states.

In it, the government said that the earlier order regarding the implementation of Covid-19 protocols, which was issued on June 29, will now be enforced up to September 30.

The Centre expressed concern over the fact that the total number of active cases and the case positivity rate in some districts across the country continue to remain on the higher side.

India on Saturday recorded 46,759 new cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the highest single-day increase in nearly two months. Saturday’s numbers indicated a trend that has been visible over the past week to anyone studying these numbers—a nationwide surge in cases driven primarily by a recent spike in Covid-19 cases in Kerala.

According to the Union ministry of health and family welfare, the southern state now accounts for more than half of all the active Covid-19 cases in the country, followed closely by Maharashtra.