Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope urges Centre to rethink policy on testing international travellers
@the_news_21
Mumbai: As different states are having different criteria for lockdowns, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Monday urged the Centre to set a standard protocol for lockdowns and restrictions for all states amid rapidly rising COVID-19 cases.
He said this while speaking to the media in Jalna district, the Maharashtra Health Minister also urged the Centre to begin inoculation for the 12-15 age group.
Tope remarked, “The definition of lockdown is different in different states. In Maharashtra, the criterion we have set for imposing one is if the bed occupancy exceeds 40% occupancy and oxygen consumption rises above 700 metric tonnes (MT). I have come to know that a lockdown has started in Haryana, and that stern restrictions are imposed in Delhi. So, we have requested that a standard protocol of restrictions be issued by the central government.”
Tope also urged the Centre for a rethink on the screening and testing policy for those arriving from foreign countries.
“The Omicron variant has spread to every country and there remains no issue now of high-risk and low-risk countries. The Central government should guide over this issue as they have formulated the screening and testing policy for international travellers,” the Minister said.
The Maharashtra Health Minister appreciated the Centre’s decision to begin vaccination of the 15-18 age group which was vulnerable to the new Covid-19 variant. Tope, during his recent online meeting with the Union Health minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, said he had urged the Central government for 40 lakh doses of the ‘Covishield’ vaccine and 50 lakh Covaxin doses.
Tope urged the Centre to intervene and bring down the prohibitive costs of monoclonal antibodies needed to treat some Covid-19 patients and make them available widely.
He added, “Another important antiviral drug, Molnupiravir, should also be made available in sufficient quantities as its demand will be high like Remdesivir. The central government has also told us that 13 companies are instructed to produce Molnupiravir.”
