Enforce rule on wearing masks strictly: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar

GURUGRAM: Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar wants government officers to build awareness and enforce more stringently the rule on wearing face masks, which health care experts across the world have identified as one of the key defences – along with social distancing and hand washing – against Covid-19.
In his first visit to Gurugram since the outbreak of the pandemic, and at a time when coronavirus in the city are leaping up, the chief minister held a review meeting with the administration and emphasised the need for initiatives to create a better understanding of the pandemic among people. He also asked officers to focus on distribution of face masks, besides enforcing the rule to wear them.
There was, however, no announcement on a ramp-up of health infrastructure in the city or setting up new Covid-19 hospitals. The city, according to a government assessment, will need 5,000 beds by the end of June if cases continue to grow at the current rate. It currently has 4,314 hospital beds, 625 ICU beds and 379 ventilators, but these are largely distributed across various private hospitals. The city currently has only three designated Covid facilities – at SGT, ESIC and Medeor.
The CM is scheduled to go to Nuh on Tuesday, a decision which raised eyebrows considering Nuh has only 15 active cases at present. Faridabad, the second most affected district in Haryana, does not figure in the CM’s itinerary.
Gurugram has emerged as one of the four “district of concern” in the country, adding around 200 cases daily for the last one week. The government assessment has factored in a scenario where case numbers accelerate because of the city’s organic connection with Delhi, which is in the middle of a surge. As of Monday, the city’s overall Covid-19 cases load stood at 3,477, with 1,664 active cases.
“Monitor private labs regularly and ensure they upload results on time. Conduct surprise inspections of these labs and make sure private labs mention correct details of the person who undergoes the test,” the CM told officers, adding people from any part of the country could give samples for testing the city but the information should be correct for better monitoring.
The CM also directed officers to identify vacant buildings that can be turned into isolation centres for patients. He also directed the administration to expedite making ration cards and give dry ration on the basis of tokens issued to those who don’t have cards.
Municipal commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh said two CNG-operated crematoriums have been started in the city and three more are under progress. Police commissioner Mohammad Akil said around 1,000 challans have been issued for not wearing a mask. “Penalise people for not wearing masks and use the money for distributing masks to common people,” the CM said, adding RWAs should be encouraged to develop isolation centres in societies so people can be treated locally.