Local authorities in many states have imposed several restrictions on Omicron, but now industry bodies have asked the government to impose restrictions based on hospitalization status and not the overall case count. India Inc is concerned about the impact of restrictions ranging from asking employees of private offices to work from home to closing cinema halls and eating out at restaurants, as the economy has seen a delicate recovery in recent months.
FICCI President Sanjiv Mehta wrote to Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on January 10, demanding reduction of home quarantine period to 5 days, booster dose for the entire population and introduction of vaccination for children above 12 years of age. .
“Mobility restriction on the basis of total number of cases and/or positivity rate is not correct. Any decision in this regard should be based on other factors like hospital beds, especially critical care beds and oxygen consumption,” he said.
While care must be taken that the overall load on the health infrastructure is at management levels, mobility restrictions must be heavily localized and a coordinated strategy at the national level to balance life and livelihoods.
CII separately suggested to the states that they should follow a micro-containment strategy, such as at the mohalla or village level, while allowing normal economic activities in the rest of the district.
Mehta, who also heads FMCG major Hindustan Unilever, said that booster doses of the Covid-19 vaccination should be allowed for the general population at the earliest, as the level of protection degrades over time.
“Assuming that the booster dose is to be given 9 months after the second dose, we believe that the existing inventory as well as the increased production capacity should be able to meet the requirements,” he added.
Also, the Vaccination program should be started for up to 12 age group, as it is not right to keep educational institutions closed for a long time.
He also added, “We recommend strengthening infrastructure to deal with asymptomatic/mild cases through teleconsultation and to build capacity to isolate and treat moderate cases, so that hospital beds are available for more severe cases.” including people with comorbidities.”
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