Gurugram, April 5 : Due to the surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in Gurugram, the district administration on Monday decided to take effective measures to control the situation. Deputy Commissioner Yash Garg convened a meeting with the police officers and district health officials and gave necessary directions to them. He told the officials to ensure that prior permission is taken before holding any programme or gathering, as over crowding will lead to a surge in the number of Covid cases. Garg said that according to the instructions of the state government, it is necessary to ensure the standard operating procedures are followed while holding any programme. He said that according to the new instructions, not more than 50 per cent of the total capacity will be allowed to gather in indoor halls, with 200 as the upper limit. Similarly, in an open area, not more than 500 people will be allowed to gather, while the number of attendees at funerals has been capped at 50. Garg also said that it would be the responsibility of the managers and owners of event venues such as marriage palaces, clubs, farm houses etc. to give information about the events to the nearest police station. At the meeting, Virender Yadav, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Gurugram, informed that the test positivity rate in the district has come down to 7.8 per cent, while three lakh people have been tested in the district in the last three months. According to the official daily health bulletin, Gurugram on Monday reported 581 new Covid-19 cases, taking its overall tally to 65,534. One person succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours, taking the district's Covid death toll to 368. The district presently has 3,168 active cases, while a total of 61,998 have been cured and discharged from different hospitals, including 384 on Monday. /IANS