Updated: September 23, 2020 10:39:42 pm
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asked states to assess whether local one- or two-day closures were effective in containing Covid-19 and asked them to advance in full force on the economic front while fighting the pandemic.
In a review meeting with the top ministers of seven states / UT with a high number of cases, Prime Minister Modi proposed the strategy of having “micro-containment zones”, as it would slow the spread of the infection and also allow the activities will continue.
“Each state must observe how effective they are in preventing the coronavirus, which is a local lockdown for 1 to 2 days. Isn’t that why there is a problem starting economic activities in your state? I urge all states to think seriously about this, ”Prime Minister Modi said.
“The nationwide lockdown in the initial phases yielded very positive results and our focus should now be on the micro-containment zones,” he said.
Prime Minister Modi also called for better coordination between states, saying that it must be ensured that medicines are moved unhindered from one state to another and that citizens are not “unnecessarily disturbed.” “This affects both people and livelihoods,” he said.
“We need to make sure that the synchronization between the states is smooth. Constant monitoring will help continue the supply chain, ”said the prime minister.
Prime Minister Modi said that even in difficult times, India has met the world’s needs with life-saving drugs. “In such a scenario, we must ensure the smooth transportation of drugs from one state to another,” he said.
He called on states to further improve their focus on effective testing, tracking, treatment, surveillance and clear messages to curb the pandemic.
Noting that the majority of Covid-19 patients were asymptomatic, Modi said that an effective message was even more important as rumors are often spread and the common man wonders if the test is wrong. “Some people even make the mistake of undermining the severity of the disease,” he said.
For his part, the captain of the Punjab CM, Amarinder Singh, urged Prime Minister Modi to take urgent measures to ensure an adequate supply from other states and also requested the rapid release of 200 million rupees that the state government had requested as a follow-up Central aid tranche for the management of Covid-19.
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