COVID guidelines: Govt asks senior citizens to wear masks; directs patients, visitors, employees at municipal hospitals to cover face

Considering the fast increase in cases of COVID-19, the government has asked senior citizens above 60 years of age to wear masks.

Apart from senior citizens, the government has also made wearing a mask mandatory for employees, patients, and visitors at all municipal hospitals. 

As a precaution, all the employees of the municipal department have been asked to wear masks.

The government informed that it would issue fresh guidelines regarding home isolation.

The government will also review things such as how hospitals are conducting COVID-19 tests, state of departmental control room, availability of medical oxygen, stock of medicines, and measures taken for preparations of COVID-19 emergencies at private hospitals. 

IMA asks people not to panic

Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association on Monday also said that despite the increasing number of COVID cases across the country, people should not panic.

However, the association has asked them to maintain hygiene to avoid falling sick .  

As per the health ministry's latest data, 5,357 COVID-19 cases with 11 deaths have been recorded, while approximately 1,57,894 tests have been done in the last 24 hours.

The IMA said that according to leading epidemiologists and virologists, the new COVID-19 variant XBB.1.16 could be the reason behind the sharp rise in cases. 

It said that we need to protect people in high-risk groups, such as pregnant ladies, those over the age of 60, and those with chronic illnesses and underlying health conditions .

All of them face an increased risk of severe illnesses, and they should be protected.   

In its guidelines, the IMA said that people with symptoms such as fever cough, sore throat, headache, bodyache, loss of smell and taste, breathlessness, should get tested for corona.

It asked people to wash their hands frequently, wear a mask, especially in crowded places and poorly ventilated places, maintain a distance of at least 1 metre, avoid hugging, kissing, and shaking hands, avoid spitting in public places, and avoid being dependent on antibiotics.