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'We have to stop Covid-19 second wave': PM Modi's 5-point plan to states, UTs
"We have to be proactive in this situation and wherever necessary micro-containment zones can be brought back," PM Modi told chief ministers on Wednesday.
Urging all states and Union territories to take quick and decisive steps against the spread of Covid-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the second wave of Corona has to be stopped immediately. District authorities can create micro-containment zones, wherever necessary, PM Modi told state and UT authorities, as he handed out a five-point plan to fight what is being called the second wave of the Covid-19 infection.
Reiterating his famous slogan 'Dawai bhi, kadai bhi' (yes to medicine, yes to caution), PM Modi said states will have to step up testing, focus on maximising vaccination and minimising wastage. In his five-point plan, the first is Covid-19 appropriate behaviour. In addition to that, the states will have to scale up RT-PCR tests, creating micro-containment zones, increase vaccination in both private and government hospitals and stop vaccine wastage.
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About 70 districts of the country have seen an increase of more than 150 per cent in the number of Covid-19 cases in the last few weeks, PM Modi said adding if the spread can’t be contained now, a situation of a nationwide outbreak can come up. But at the same time, he emphasised not to create panic among people.
Comparing India’s Covid-19 situation with the rest of the world, PM Modi said that most of the Covid-affected countries in the world had to face several waves of Corona, while India's journey has been a success.
Referring to the situation in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, PM Modi said the positivity rate in both the state is high and the number of daily cases in these states is also rising. “This is also a test of good governance. We need to think why there is less testing in some areas or why there is less vaccination in some states,” PM Modi said urging the state administrations to take stock of the situation every day. “Our confidence should not become overconfidence. Our success should not turn into negligence,” he said.
On how this 'second Covid-19' wave is different from the first one, PM Modi said, "Tier-2 and tier-3 cities are being affected now. In the first phase, we could contain the spread as the infection did not spread to the villages. But now as the small cities are being infected, villages need to be protected more."
Talking about the vaccines, PM Modi said states should probe why vaccines are being wasted. "Over 10 per cent vaccines have been wasted in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh too reported some wastage. If we waste vaccines, we are depriving some people of their rights."
"We have to get out of this situation quickly. Otherwise, this will go on and one..one year, two years. Now we have a weapon against it. As far as the expiry of the vaccines is concerned, you should use the vaccines which have come to you first. That will also address the issue of vaccine wastage," PM Modi said.
The meeting between the PM and the state heads comes in the wake of a sharp rise in the number of daily Covid-19 infections in the country, a trend that started in February and became more acute in March. On Wednesday, India recorded 28,903 Covid-19 cases, registering the highest single-day spike in this year.
