DDMA approves colour-coded system to tackle possible third wave of COVID-19

New Delhi: A 'Graded Response Action Plan' to deal with a possible third wave of the coronavirus was passed in a Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meeting on Friday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.A Delhi government panel on managing the possible third wave of COVID has devised a colour-coded mechanism which prescribes a graded response, including the closure of most economic activities at the highest 'Red' level alert."The 'Graded Response Action Plan' was passed in the DDMA meeting today. No doubts will remain about when the lockdown will be imposed or when it will open. In the meeting, there was also discussion about the Delta plus variant. We have to stop this variant from spreading in Delhi, for which the government is taking all necessary steps," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.The colour codes based on positivity rate (on two consecutive days), cumulative number of new cases (over a week) and average oxygenated-bed occupancy (for a week) will designate four levels of alerts.The graded response will involve restricting economic activities as per the level of alert linked with the severity of the pandemic. Shops and establishments of essential goods and services will be allowed to open during all four levels of alerts."After detailed deliberations and presentations made by the health department and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), it was decided to notify the Graded Response Action Plan that will objectively and transparently ensure an institutional and automatic response with regards to enforcement measures, lockdowns and unlock based on criteria such as test positivity rate and quantum of cases," an expert present at the meeting said.Concerns arising out of new variants such as Delta Plus and LAMBDA were discussed at length and measures like vaccination, genome sequencing, testing, tracking and surveillance were suggested as the most effective steps to mitigate their spread, experts said.People travelling in large numbers to tourist destinations and violating COVID-19-related guidelines were also flagged as an area of concern, they saidThe meeting also stressed on having 12,000 ICU beds, sufficient oxygen, drugs and ambulances, etc to deal with another surge in cases.