Focus: GS-III Disaster Management
Why in news?
With 32 deaths reported in the past 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry on 8th April 2020 said building hospital infrastructure, aggressive contact tracing and total enforcement of the lockdown with the help of people were the main focus now in the fight against COVID-19.
Views of the Health Ministry
- We are speeding up infrastructure-building and grading up our response as the number of cases has shown a rise over the past few days.
- the country was facing an unprecedented challenge, in which we are getting cases of both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients acting as carriers.
- The need of the hour is to break the transmission, and for that, the lockdown is the key, and we seek the cooperation of people.
- While even a single death is a major cause of concern, the number is relatively fewer in India.
- The whole situation of hydroxycholoroquine is being monitored at the highest level; it is being ensured that there will be no shortage. Currently, this is being used for a very small section of the population.
- To prevent hoarding of essentials, the States have been asked to take action under Essential Commodities Act.
