Adityanath calls for promoting digital payments in UP to minimise crowding

Instructs officials to ensure banks followed social distancing protocols

Amid the coronavirus lockdown, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has called for promoting digital payment systems to minimise the rush of people in commercial banks.

Chairing a review meeting here, Adityanath directed officials to promote digital payment systems such as RuPay and facilitate digital transactions, especially in the rural areas through the common service centres (CSC).

Besides, he has instructed for ensuring that the banks followed the social distancing norms in their premises.

Meanwhile, Adityanath has instructed for the geo-tagging of the state quarantine centres and community kitchens for better administrative vigil to ensure that the safety protocols were being followed to contain the spread of the disease.

“The CM has stressed upon expanding the ambit of pool testing so that a larger number of people could be tested,” UP additional chief secretary Awanish Kumar Awasthi told the media here this evening.

The state government has decided to promote plasma therapy in the treatment of coronavirus patients after encouraging results have emerged from other places. Plasma therapy involves transfusing antibodies from the blood of such persons, who have recovered from the virus attack, into patients who are still infected with the virus. Currently, King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow is engaged in research involving plasma therapy.

Meanwhile, the state has constituted district level panels comprising representatives from different agencies including the World Health Organisation (WHO) to curb medical infection and protect doctors, nurses and medical staff deployed in frontline duty to curb covid-19. These panels will inspect the respective government and private hospitals offering emergency medical services and ensure they followed the infection protection protocol.

Each of the district panels would be headed by an additional chief medical officer (CMO) level officer and comprise representation from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), doctors, WHO, UNICEF and also the UP Pollution Control Board.

A committee headed by an environmental engineer will also ensure that the biomedical waste disposal standards are strictly adhered to in all the Covid and non-Covid hospitals.

So far, UP has reported 1,843 coronavirus cases across 58 districts, of which 289 have been discharged, while 29 persons succumbed during treatment, leaving 1,525 active cases. Most of the deceased were either suffering from co-morbidity or belonged to the higher age groups.

Of the 58 districts, 10 districts currently do not have any active coronavirus case, while 17 of the total 75 districts in UP have still not reported any coronavirus patient, UP medical, health and family welfare principal secretary Amit Mohan Prasad said.

So far, more than 56,000 coronavirus samples have been tested in the state, he informed.