Tourists Throw Caution To The Wind, Govt Fears Covid Surge

Centre Asks States To Be Alert, Winter Adds To Woes

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A health worker collects a nasal swab sample to test for Covid-19 in Ahmedabad on Monday

New Delhi: The government is bracing for a possible post-holiday surge in coronavirus cases around mid-January with reports of people violating various Covid-19 norms to gather in large numbers at tourist destinations and a rise in travel.

The Centre has asked the states to increase alert levels of surveillance and containment systems and keep a close watch on any super-spreading events, particularly in the light of the new UK strain, so far not detected here but whose presence in India cannot be ruled out, official sources said.

“Covid numbers are likely to go up because of weddings, parties and rising level of mobility without adequate precaution. In some of the states, we have observed considerable violation of Covid appropriate behavior. This will soon manifest itself in numbers by mid-January,” a senior official said.

India has been registering daily new cases below 30,000 for last 15 days. On Sunday, 20,021new cases were registered and of this, Kerala alone recorded 4,905, whereas Maharashtra registered the second highest at 3,314.