The Centre on Monday extended its existing guidelines for restrictions for surveillance and containment of the coronavirus till January 31. In a release by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Union government noted the decline in active cases of Covid-19 in the country, while adding a word of caution against the new strain that has emerged in the United Kingdom.

“While there has been a continuous decline in the active and new Covid-19 cases, there is need to maintain surveillance, containment and caution, keeping in view the surge in cases globally, and emergence of a new variant of the virus in the United Kingdom,” the home ministry said.

The ministry said a focused approach on surveillance and containment and a strict observance of the guidelines and standard operating procedures issued by it and the health ministry, as mentioned in the guidelines issued last month, need to be enforced by the states and union territories.

Meanwhile Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Monday wrote to the states and Union Territories asking them to instruct concerned authorities to support the health ministry in identification, preparation of database, vaccine delivery, storage, security, shipment and vaccination of those who are to be immunised in the first phase, ANI reported

Meanwhile, India’s coronavirus tally rose to 1,02,07,871 on Monday after 20,021 new cases emerge in the last 24 hours. Delhi recorded 564 new cases, the lowest since July 27, according to PTI. The positivity rate in the Capital has now come under 1%. On Sunday, India had recorded the lowest single-day rise in cases in nearly six months at 18,732.

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