Assocham suggests selectively reducing economic activities to curb COVID spread

Industry body Assocham on Tuesday suggested to the government to selectively reduce economic activity for breaking the transmission chain of coronavirus.

It said that continuity of vaccine supplies should be ensured through government channels for at least 90 days till the private sector establishes its procurement channels.

"To contain the contagion's spread by cutting the transmission linkages, it is recommended to selectively curtail economic activity to reduce exposure and reach out to draw all possible expertise from within and outside the country to contain the loss of lives," the chamber said in a statement.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Assocham called for drawing up a mass vaccination strategy in the shortest possible time and relaxing import dispensation for jacking up the supply.

It also called for establishing a single point of contact within government for donations and imported equipment supplies; information flow between government and industry; national and international medical fraternity, academia, and other stakeholders.

Further, it recommended ramping up genetic sequencing of positive COVID-19 test samples to quickly catch new variants as the virus mutates.