An order from the health department said wearing face masks is mandatory, and those without them won’t be allowed into offices, schools/colleges, hospitals, malls and cinema halls, and public transport.
No such order was issued in Ghaziabad.
Gautam Budh Nagar CMO Dr Sunil Sharma issued the wide-ranging order, which also advised people to wear gloves, that was reminiscent of the initial months after the first Covid outbreak in early 2020 when little was known about the virus.
All government and private offices were asked to ensure that thermal scanning is carried out at entry points. Office premises need to be sanitised, and employees with flu-like symptoms should isolate at home and get tested for the viral illness, the order said.
“Office managements have been asked to report any symptomatic patient to the health department,” a GB Nagar health department official told TOI.
Schools, colleges and educational institutes should ensure adequate distance between seats in classes and make available sanitisers and hand soaps. Thermal screening at the entry is also compulsory.
“Students with cold, cough and flu-like symptoms should not attend school/college,” the order said.
Hospitals were told to set up flu clinics and manage queues at information counters and pharmacies within their premises. At malls and cinemas, visitors should not just wear masks, but also gloves while buying food and beverages or shopping, according to the order. Similar to hospitals, queues have to be managed to ensure social distancing here as well.
The guidelines specified several norms for travellers and authorities at bus stations and railway stations. Among these are spacing out the seats at waiting areas, and ensuring social distancing while boarding or de-boarding.
Additionally, the order stressed on measures like sanitisation of doors, escalators, lifts and parking areas at public places. Covid protocols, including masking up and social distancing, should be maintained at events and gatherings like weddings, it said.
The order advised that the elderly and children should avoid visiting crowded areas. Those with comorbidities should stay inside as far as possible, it added.
Further, it recommended avoiding physical touch like shaking hands and hugging.
Though implemented in early months of the pandemic, several scientific studies have over the years concluded that Sars-CoV-2 virus largely spreads through tiny droplets suspended in the air, especially in areas with little ventilation.
Several of the measures the order calls for will be hard to implement at a time when restrictions have been removed and economic activity has resumed at full steam.
Covid-19 cases have risen across most parts of the country since March. Noida reported 114 new cases on Thursday, and Ghaziabad 108.
Experts say this outbreak is driven by a more transmissible Omicron subvariant (XBB.1.16) but there isn’t any need to panic as most of the population should be able to stave off serious illness. They, however, recommend precautionary measures such as wearing masks and taking the booster shot of the Covid-19 vaccine.