The Union Health Ministry, on Tuesday, expressed concern over the increasing tourist density at hill stations and said that people are indulging in ‘revenge travel’. During a routine briefing, Health Secretary Lav Agarwal said that the second wave is still existent in a limited way in some areas.

“People are indulging in revenge travel. Some photos coming in from Manali, Mussoorie, Sadar Bazar Delhi, Shimla, Laxmi Nagar Delhi, Dadar Market shows a huge crowd with no mask roaming around. This is dangerous. People need to understand this is a continuous fight. The virus is not exhausted it is still there. Only Covid-appropriate behaviour can control the virus,” Agarwal said.

The Health Ministry noted that there has been a reduction in the number of cases by 30 per cent. “While in states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Meghalaya, Sikkim…, more cases are being reported with the positivity of more than 10 per cent,” Agarwal said.

Visuals from hill stations ‘are frightening’: ICMR DG

Dr Balram Bhargava, DG, ICMR, also stressed that some states in the country are still struggling with the second wave of COVID-19. “Once the positivity rate comes down to 5 per cent, then it can be considered safe. So we need to maintain the same momentum of testing. The community has to be engaged for Covid appropriate behaviour and need to get vaccinated,” he said.

Bhargava also said that the visuals from hill stations ‘are frightening’ and urged that people must comply with COVID-appropriate behaviour.

Bhargava said that the future challenge while dealing with the pandemic is not the third wave, ‘but how we act on it’. “Instead of highlighting the wave aspect, we should focus on COVID appropriate behaviour/ restrictions to contain the spread,” he said.

Commenting on the booster shot of Covaxin, Bhargava said that it is in the scientific ideation stage and the efficacy is not known yet.