Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed the nation and asked people to exercise caution and not be careless against the novel coronavirus during the festive season. Addressing people who were not taking precautions while stepping out, such as not wearing the mask, the PM said, “We should remember that while the lockdown is gone, the virus has not.”
Noting that economic activity is improving, people are going about their daily lives and that markets were bustling during the current and upcoming festive season, Modi said, “This is not the time to be careless. It is not the time to think that coronavirus has gone away or there is no danger from it. We have seen many visuals showing that people have stopped taking precautions seriously or are being casual. This is not okay. If you are stepping outside without masks, you are putting not only yourself but also others around you in danger.”
He urged people to continue exercising caution like wearing masks till such time a vaccine for COVID-19 comes. “After a long time, we are witnessing a war-like effort against the pandemic across the world. Many vaccines are being worked on in India. Many are in advanced stages. Whenever a vaccine comes, the government is taking measures to ensure that it reaches every Indian,” Modi said.
Modi also claimed that India had been doing better compared to other countries. “In the last 7-8 months, with every Indian’s efforts, things are stable. The recovery rate is good, the fatality rate is low. We should not aggravate the situation, we should improve it.”
The Prime Minister said that in India, the fatality rate for every 10,000 people from COVID-19 is 83. “In America, the UK and Spain, this number is over 600. There are over 12,000 quarantine centres in India, and 2,000 labs for testing. We will soon have done over 10 crore tests.”
“Till there is no vaccine, there cannot be carelessness. The festive season is one of happiness and joy. We are coming out of a difficult time and even slight carelessness can set back our fight against the coronavirus,” he added.