Decision on further steps on Sunday, says CM after all-party meeting

PATNA The Bihar government will announce further measures to contain the spread of coronavirus on Sunday after seeking reports from all the district magistrates, chief minister Nitish Kumar said on Saturday as he emerged from the all-party meeting called by Governor Phagu Chouhan to discuss the situation

PATNA

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The Bihar government will announce further measures to contain the spread of coronavirus on Sunday after seeking reports from all the district magistrates, chief minister Nitish Kumar said on Saturday as he emerged from the all-party meeting called by Governor Phagu Chouhan to discuss the situation.

According to sources, though there was no unanimity at the meeting on enforcing a lockdown, BJP’s state president Sanjay Kumar Jaiswal suggested a weekend lockdown advancing summer vacation in schools to April 18.

JD-U state president Umesh Kushwaha suggested adequate stock of medicines, ventilators and oxygen.

RJD’s Tejaswhi Prasad Yadav, who is leader of Opposition, was critical of the government’s preparedness and wanted adequate time to be given to people if the government wanted to enforce a lockdown.

“The government may announce further strict measures to break the chain on one hand and augment testing, vaccination and facilities in hospitals on the other,” sources said.

After the meeting, Kumar said the crisis management group was meeting later in the evening to discuss and decide further steps to be taken. “The number of Covid-19 cases has again risen today and the trend continues,” he said.

With over 6,250 cases reported in the state in the last 24 hours, the number of active cases has gone past 33,000 mark, a far cry from just 350 active cases health minister Mangal Pandey had said on the floor of the state Assembly earlier. As a result, hospitals in the state are under stress and shortage of important medicines and oxygen reported from many places.

“In view of growing number of cases, I have already talked to Medanta Hospita chairman Dr Naresh Trehan to convert the newly built Medanta Hospital in Patna as a dedicated Covid hospital. The government is also conscious about availability of oxygen and medicines,” the CM said in his address.

“Tomorrow, I will hold a video conference with all the DMs to know the status in other parts of the state, after which the government will announce further measures, as required. The suggestions received today will also be taken into account,” the CM said.

Parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said the government had briefed leaders from all the political parties of the status of health facilities for Covid, vis-à-vis last year when the pandemic was first reported in Bihar. “The unprecedented crisis has caught the entire world off-guard due to its sheer magnitude and rendered all facilities inadequate. It is time for all to contribute selflessly for the sake of humanity, not to settle scores,” he said.

Tejaswhi Yadav raised the issue of inadequate testing and vaccination, besides lack of facilities in hospitals. He said if the government had any plans of announcing lockdown, it must give adequate time for the people stranded outside to return home. “I have given 30 suggestions to the government, but I doubt it would work on any of them. The government does not listen. It has failed,” he said.

He had tweeted minutes before the meeting started: “Last year also, I was continuously cooperating and suggesting concrete measures, but the CM hardly cared for such positive suggestions. Even I had challenged him to speak on steps taken by him. Still, they have no sense of responsibility. May God save our Bihar.”

Representatives of Congress, HAM-S, CPI-ML, CPI, VIP and others also joined the meeting, which was held online.

CPI-ML wanted the age bar vaccination removed and said it did not favour lockdown due to bitter experience last time.