Updated: September 16, 2020 10:14:08 am
Migrants at the train station in New Delhi (Archive)
Migrants began walking hundreds of kilometers home during the lockdown due to fake news, the government told parliament. He also said that the global experience with Covid-19 and its highly infectious nature led to the Center’s decision to curb a national shutdown on March 24 with just four hours’ notice.
The information was given in Lok Sabha by Home Minister of State Nityanand Rai in response to two separate questions from members of the opposition.
When TMC member Mala Roy asked why migrant workers had to walk miles to get to their homes, Rai said: “The migration of large numbers of migrant workers was triggered by the panic created by fake news about the length of time. confinement, and people, especially migrant workers, were concerned about the adequate supply of basic necessities such as food, drinking water, health services and shelter. “
Detailing various measures taken by the government, Rai said: “However, the central government was fully aware of this and took all necessary measures to ensure that during the period of the inevitable closure, no citizen should be deprived of basic services of food, drink water, medical facilities, etc. “
Congressional MP Manish Tewari then asked why the government had to resort to a nationwide blockade on just four hours’ notice. Rai stated in a written response: “Shortly after the outbreak of the new coronavirus on January 7, 2020, the central government took several measures such as the progressive tightening of international travel, the issuance of notices to the public, the installation of facilities of quarantine, etc. to contain the spread of COVID-19.
“The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Experts, taking into account the global experiences of countries that have been successful in containing the spread of COVID-19, to Unlike others where many people died, they have recommended that effective social distancing measures be taken to contain the spread of this pandemic, ”he said. Rai said that from March 16 to 23, most state governments / UTs resorted to a partial or total blockade depending on their assessment of the situation.
“Covid-19 is a highly infectious disease. Any massive movement of people would have spread the disease very quickly among people in all parts of the country. Taking into account the above facts, global experience, and the need for consistency in the approach and implementation of various containment measures across the country, a national shutdown was announced on March 24, 2020 to contain the spread of COVID-19. in the country. ” he said.
Rai claimed that by imposing the blockade across the country, India was able to successfully curb the aggressive spread of the virus.
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