India today reported 22,431 new Covid cases and 318 deaths over the past 24 hours. File
Warning people not to drop their guard against Covid during the festive season, the government today asked them to ensure that they "share happiness but not the virus".
At a briefing today afternoon, joint secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Lav Agarwal said, "We must ensure we share our happiness but not the virus."
"Please watch your October, November, December. These months bring a lot of festivals, weddings and parties," he said, calling upon people to celebrate the festivals in the spirit of winning over Covid-19.
The senior official said prevention is key to controlling Covid. "Covid does not spread on its own, one person needs to be willing to spread," he said.
He also warned people against "Covid fatigue", referring to people being tired of staying indoors due to the pandemic and restless to resume their pre-pandemic activities.
"There is global evidence of a surge following unhindered public gatherings in the UK, Russia, Netherlands," he said.
Saying that there are still a lot of challenges facing the country in the fight against Covid pandemic, Mr Agarwal said, "We have not controlled the second wave yet."
He said there are about 2.44 lakh active Covid cases in the country, indicating that the spread continues. "We cannot say that the situation is under control everywhere."
The country today reported 22,431 new Covid cases and 318 deaths due to the infection over the past 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry. The case count today is 19 per cent more than yesterday's figure of 18,833 cases.