Schools in UP to remain shut till April 4 amid rising COVID cases

Alarmed by the rising number of COVID cases in Uttar Pradesh, the state government has announced that schools for students up to 8th standard shall remain closed till April 4. Previously, the government had ordered the closure of schools for students up to 8th standard, on account of Holi vacation and all examinations in this period were cancelled too.

Directives to augment COVID testing in the state

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The government has also instructed the concerned authorities to expand the COVID diagnostic centres in the state so that the possibilities of an uncontrolled spread can be reduced. Officials and concerned authorities have also been asked to amplify testing, which dropped significantly due to Holi and the subsequent hike in cases. Around 67,000 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours which is way less than the state's daily average of about 1.25 lakh tests.

In order to attain the testing goals, it has been said that an average of 1.5 lakhs tests should be conducted daily, 50% of which shall happen based on the RT-PCR method. It has been mandated that all suspected individuals shall be tested using this better and comparatively more accurate method. The CM has also asked for targeted testing schedules at vulnerable spots like homes, protection homes, residential schools and hostels.

Uttar Pradesh expects to vaccinate 1 crore individuals in April

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Additionally, the CM has also ordered all departments to make provisions for a day's leave for all their employees who are willing to get vaccinated. Aligning with this, authorities have been asked to assure that similar facilities are available in the private sector as well. "The government employees going in for Covid-19 vaccination must be given a day's off on their due date. Likewise, similar arrangements must be made for private-sector employees too," read a statement issued by the Chief Minister.

As per records, 54 lakh doses of the COVID vaccine have been administered to the residents in the state so far. Benefitted from this, 12 lakh individuals have received both jabs and completed the process of inoculation. With the ongoing phase of vaccination focused on individuals over 45, the state expects to immunise 1 crore people in April.

Soaring COVID tallies in Uttar Pradesh

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With 918 new detections of the virus on Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh stands gripped under the fear of unrestrained virus spread for the second time. While the cumulative count of COVID affected people in the state hovered over 6,15,996, Lucknow topped the list of new cases with 445 cases. Currently, the state has 9,195 active cases, 2,919 of which are in the capital city itself. Taking cognisance of the situation, the state authorities are also undertaking awareness activities to make sure that people follow the guidelines.