The Centre has told States that Omicron is three times as infectious as Delta and “war rooms” are needed to contain it. It has also listed a series of prevention and containment measures that have included extensive testing, night curfews, and regulation of gatherings.
A letter from the Health Ministry has said that measures taken should be based on the local conditions, laying down the guidelines for what it called “threshold limits”. It also said that the states and Union Territories can take “containment measures, curbs before thresholds are reached”. The letter read that besides Omicron, the Delta variant is still present in different parts of the country.
It has been suggested that emergency funds be used to fasten up the medical infrastructure, including hospital beds, ambulances, oxygen equipment, and medication.
