Uttarakhand govt aims to screen every individual for Coronavirus in the next 10 days

In a major decision to check the Coronavirus spread in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Sunday, set a target for all district officials to ensure that every individual is screened for the disease within the next 10 days.

Speaking to ANI, CM Rawat said that the state government’s aim is to screen every resident of Uttarakhand, especially children and senior citizens, as they are more vulnerable towards the infectious virus.

The Uttarakhand government has also passed an ordinance that imposes a fine of Rs 5,000 and jail term of up to 6 months for not wearing masks in public places. The ordinance was passed after amendments in Sections 2 and 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897. The state has made quarantine rules stricter. The ordinance was approved by Governor Baby Rani Maurya on Saturday.

READ | Uttarakhand CM Reviews COVID-19 Situation, Directs Officials To Audit Every COVID Death

‘Audit Every COVID Death’

In view of the deaths due to Coronavirus in the state, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has directed the state officials to audit each and every death related to the virus and study the reason behind the deaths.

The directions have come after the evaluation of the state's COVID-19 situation in a meeting with all the 13 district officials. Every Coronavirus related death will be audited along with a serious analysis of the reasons behind the death, he said. He believed that if a patient dies in 24 hours of testing positive, then it would be considered as some shortcomings in the observation and supervision by the concerned officials.

READ | Uttarakhand Makes Masks Compulsory At Public Places; Violators To Be Jailed for 6 Months 

People in some parts of Uttarakhand have also protested against the cremation of COVID-19 related dead bodies in fear of the spread of the infection. Rawat expressed concerns over reports of such protests. In assurance, he said there is no risk of the spread of the infection due to the cremation of the dead bodies as the bodies are first sanitised before leaving for cremation. He requested to allow peaceful cremation of the deceased.

READ | Four More Coronavirus Patients Die In Uttarakhand

READ | Former CMs Will Have To Pay Market Rent For Govt Houses: Uttarakhand HC