Govt. urges people to travel only if fully vaccinated amid concerns of COVID third wave

Amid the rising concerns of a looming third wave of COVID, the Centre has urged people to travel only if they are fully vaccinated with both the doses of COVID vaccine.
Referring to fourth National Serosurvey for COVID-19, ICMR DG Dr Balram Bhargava stressed that two-third of India’s population has SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, but emphasised that around 40 crore people are still vulnerable to the infection. He reiterated that there is no room for complacency now, and that COVID-appropriate behaviour along with community engagement should be maintained.

Bhargava also warned that the national level serosurvey is not a substitute for local, i.e., state or district-level variations. He maintained that the national sero survey is just offering us a bird’s eye view of what is taking place in the country. He stressed that there is heterogeneity that occurs from district to district and state to state, and that we need to be cognisant of it. Therefore, those without antibodies run the risk of infection waves, he added.
He added that a state-led sentinel sero-surveillance would help indicate state-level action as state heterogeneity indicates the possibility of future waves of infection. There might be situations, wherein some states will have population that are more vulnerable to the virus, and therefore the chances of future waves are also higher in those states, he stated
Noting these facts, the government is urging people to avoid non-essential travels, avoid social, political, and religious gatherings, and travel only if fully vaccinated.