GoM reviewed challenges involving migrant labourers and returnees from abroad

In the meeting of the COVID-19 Group of Ministers appealed to all states and Union Territory to follow all protocol and guidelines while receiving migrants labourers and foreign returnees. It also discussed the challenges before various states and UTs arising from the returning migrant labourers and the returnees from abroad.

New Delhi: The 15th meeting of the COVID-19 Group of Ministers (GoM) on Friday reiterated its appeal to all states and Union Territory (UTs) to follow all protocol and guidelines while receiving migrants labourers and foreign returnees.

Government sources said that the meeting also discussed the challenges before various states and UTs arising from the returning migrant labourers and the returnees from abroad.

The GoM took note of the reports that in many States COVID-19 cases have jumped up following the entry of migrants people. Many states have even complained that the arrival of labourers will add to the States employment problem.

The GoM was informed that there are 30 municipal areas which are constituting 79 percent of India's caseload. "GoM discussed that focus of COVID-19 management strategy needs to be on the states with highest number of fatalities, and on treatment and case fatality management, for which timely detection of infection and contact tracing was the best way forward," officials said.

The GoM meeting that was chaired by Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan also reviewed India's position in comparison to the rest of the world.

Worldwide total number of COVID-19 positive cases stand at 4248389 with 294046 deaths and the fatality rate pegged at 6.92 percent, whereas in India, the total positive case stands at 81,970 with 2649 deaths and the fatality rate noted at 3.23 percent.

Health Ministry statistics said that in the last 24 hours, 1685 patients were also cured. "This takes the total recovery rate at 34.06 percent," officials said. India's doubling rate is now 12.9 days whereas the case fatality rate (CFR) has also come down from 3.2 percent in the pre lockdown period to 2.1 percent during the last week.

The GoM was approved that the medical infrastructure in the country have also been revamped keeping Covid19 in mind. India, at present, has 919 dedicated Covid hospitals, 2036 C9vid health care centre and 5739 COVID-19 care centres with the required number of beds.

India's PPE production capacity has reached 3 lakh per day and about 3 lakh N95 masks per day.

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) DG Balram Bhargava who was also present in the meeting said that India's testing capacity has I created upto 1 lakh per day through 509 laboratories.

"Nearly 20 lakh t3sts have been conducted in the country as of now," said Bhargava.

The GoM was informed that around 12000 Indians have already been brought back from abroad and they are being quarantined in the respective states.

The GoM meeting was attended by Hardeep Singh Puri, Civil Aviation Minister, External Affairs Minister S Jayashankar, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Shipping and Chemical and Fertiliser Mansukh Lal Mandaviya, and many other top government officials.

Meanwhile, in a letter sent to all states and UTs, Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan appealed to the local governments to ban the sale of tobacco products and spitting in public places to stop the spread of Covid-19 disease.

Vardhan said that smokeless tobacco users have a tendency to spit in public places or otherwise and "therefore increase health risks especially those of spreading contagious disease like Covid19, tuberculosis, swine flu, encephalitis and others.

Earlier, on May 11 Health Ministry issued a similar letter and underlined that use of tobacco is a major public health threat.