COVID-19: Centre sets up 4 more teams for Chennai, Surat, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad

New Delhi, Apr 24: The Ministry of Home Affairs said that the Ministry of Home Affairs has constituted an additional four Inter-Ministerial Central Teams to assess the situation in states fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

The four additional teams will be headed by an additional secretary level officer. The teams would assess the situation, in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Surat and Hyderabad.

Earlier, the Centre had constituted 6 teams to make an assessment of the situation and augmented the efforts of the states in fighting and containing the spread of COVID-19 effectively.

The teams, two for West Bengal and Maharashtra and one each for Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan had been formed to make on the spot assessment of situation and issue necessary directions to the state authorities for its redressal and submit their report to Central Government in larger interest of general public.

The MHA today said that the team would focus on a range of issues that include compliance and implementation of the lockdown measures as per the guidelines, supply of essential commodities, social distancing, preparedness of health infrastructure, safety of health professionals and conditions of relief camps for labour and poor people.

The teams will make an on the spot assessment of the situation, issue necessary directions to state authorities for its redressal and submit their report to the Central Government in the larger interest of the general public. The violation of lockdown measures is posing a serious health hazard to the public. Incidents ranging from violence on the frontline healthcare professionals and police personnel are being reported. There is also opposition to setting up quarantine centre, the MHA also said.

The IMCTs will focus on complaints on implementation of lockdown measures as per guidelines, supply of essential commodities, social distancing, preparedness of health infrastructure, safety of health professionals and conditions of the relief camps for labour and poor people.