PM's key aide reviews states' compliance of guidelines on Covid

NEW DELHI: Principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PK Mishra, has met top officials and experts to review compliance of directions given by the PM on December 22 to ramp up defences against a fresh surge of Covid infections.

Mishra, sources said, also sought an update on the evolving global scenario of the pandemic with spikes in Covid cases observed in some countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Brazil etc in the meeting which was attended by top officials and health experts on Friday.

The Prime Minister had, in a high-level meeting held on December 22, reiterated that Covid was not over yet and directed officials to strengthen surveillance, especially at international airports. Sources said officials present in the meeting briefed Mishra about the meeting by health minister Mansukh Mandaviya with the health ministers of states a day after Modi's meeting.

Officials informed Mishra that as per the PM's directions, drill across all health facilities was conducted on December 27. "A total of 21,097 facilities participated in the drill," he was briefed.

As directed by Modi, officials said, detailed norms for 2% random screening of international passengers on arrival were issued and 2% random sampling was initiated from December 24.