Delhi Disaster Management body passes response plan to tackle COVID 3rd wave: CM Kejriwal

A  'Graded Response Action Plan' to deal with the COVID 3rd wave has been passed by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in a meeting on Friday, July 9, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal informed. CM Kejriwal took to his Twitter handle to confirm the COVID 3rd wave response plan where the Delhi government has devised a colour-coded mechanism to specify a graded response with all the economic activities shutting down at the highest 'red alert level. 

"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 a 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's tweet in Hindi read. 

The graded response action plan and importance of colour codes 

The colour codes will be based on the positivity rate on two consecutive days, the cumulative number of cases over a week and the average bed capacity (oxygenated) for a week. These indicators will designate four levels of alert. Based on the alerts, the graded response will then prohibit economic activities as per the level of alert linked with the severity of the pandemic. Shops and establishments pertaining to essential goods and services will be allowed to open at all levels of alerts whatsoever. 

The colour codes, namely Yellow, amber, orange and red represent the severity in ascending order. A red alert would be issued in areas with a high positivity rate and high bed occupancy with yellow being issued at the lowest level. The codes will also indicate the requirement of covid infrastructure in these zones. The colour coding would help in maintaining uniformity in the disaster management process. 

The action response comes as Delhi is steadily opening up and close monitoring is needed to take immediate counteractions in case of spiking numbers. Delhi recorded 93 fresh COVID-19 cases and three deaths on Thursday with the positivity rate at 0.12%. According to official figures shred by the health department, the city's fatality rate has been pushed to 25,008.

Meanwhile, CM Arvind Kejriwal on July 7 inaugurated a genome-sequencing laboratory at the ILBS hospital deeming it highly beneficial for the people of Delhi. This is the second lab inauguration by Kejriwal, who inaugurated a much-advanced lab at the  LNJP Hospital on July 6. He said that these labs would help the government understand the lethality of the virus and prepare containment steps accordingly.