Health Department issues advisory on face masks, festival congregations and testing

Ahead of the festival season, the State Health Department has issued a circular on Monday advising strict enforcement of compulsory face masks in offices both government and private, common areas of apartment complexes, indoor areas like hotels, clubs, restaurants, pubs and bars (except while dining), choultries, cinemas, educational institutions (for those above 5 years of age); public transport like buses, metro and trains, shopping malls and markets and other common spaces.

The circular has been issued following the State’s Technical Advisory Committee’s (TAC) recommendations in view of the upward trend observed in the number of COVID-19 cases in the State since the first week of June. Minimal compliance by people to COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour (CAB), especially face masking, testing and vaccination, can lead to a further uptick in cases, the TAC noted.

“Considering the festivities all through the month of September, the public celebration of Ganesha festival due on August 31 should be observed, preferably outdoors and with strict compliance to CAB, thermal screening at entry, social distancing of one metre, provision of hand sanitizer at strategic places, compulsory face masking throughout and fully vaccinated persons should be encouraged to participate. Any symptomatic person found should be isolated and referred for treatment and primary contacts tested. Compulsory face masking should be enforced in all indoor assemblies,” the circular stated.

Testing strategy

Although the present testing strategy in the State is largely based on the ICMR advisory on purposive testing for COVID-19, the Health Department has instructed health staff to compulsorily test all ILI and SARI cases, all symptomatic international arrivals, all primary contacts (symptomatics should be compulsorily be tested) and even asymptomatic persons who are at risk like elderly (over 60 years of age ) and those with co-morbidities.

“All symptomatic persons should be tested by Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) and if negative, should be tested by RT-PCR. For asymptomatic cases, RAT should not be done. They should be tested through RT-PCR only. All samples with CT (cycle threshold) value of less than 25 from symptomatic international arrivals, those hospitalised, those from large clusters (five or more cases and outbreaks (15 or more cases) should compulsorily be sent for Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS),” another circular stated.