New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday appreciated the efforts of the Centre, state and the local authorities in containing the COVID-19 situation in Delhi, and directed that a similar approach be replicated in checking the pandemic in the entire NCR area. “Priority is close monitoring and guiding the containment works in regions where the infection rate is high,” the prime minister wrote on Twitter after holding a review meeting to take stock of the COVID-19 situation in various parts of the country and the preparedness of various states.
According to a statement issued by the Prime minister’s Office, Modi also directed that real-time national level monitoring and guidance should be provided to all affected states and places with high test positivity rates. The prime minister reiterated the need to observe personal hygiene and social discipline in public places.
Modi said awareness about the pandemic should be disseminated widely and a continuous emphasis on preventing the spread of the infection should be laid. He said there is no room for any complacency in this regard, according to the statement.
“The prime minister appreciated the concerted efforts of the Centre, state and local authorities in containing the pandemic situation in Delhi,” the statement said. “He further directed that a similar approach should be adopted with other state governments in containing the COVID-19 pandemic in the entire NCR area,” it said.
The review meeting was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and the cabinet secretary among others. “Had an extensive meeting to review the COVID-19 situation across the nation. Took stock of the ongoing efforts to contain the infection,” the prime minister said in his tweet.
The Union home minister had stepped in last month to handle the coronavirus situation in the national capital amid rising cases and criticism in different quarters of the Delhi government’s handling of the COVID-19 situation, with complaints of non-availability of beds in hospitals for patients and difficulty in getting the tests done in laboratories. Shah had discussed ways to check the spread of the virus in the NCR with the chief ministers of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
The NCR comprises districts belonging to Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The prominent ones being Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida), Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Faridabad. During Saturday’s meet, the “successful example” of surveillance and home-based care through ‘Dhanvantri Rath’ in Ahmedabad was highlighted, and it was directed that it may be emulated in other places, the statement said.
“Also discussed ways to further step-up our capacities to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We also highlighted successful initiatives being undertaken across India to ensure the Coronavirus is kept under check,” Modi said in another tweet. According to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday morning, India’s COVID-19 tally has crossed the eight-lakh mark.
The death toll in the country has climbed to 22,123 with 519 people succumbing to the disease in 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. Of the 519 new deaths reported, 226 are from Maharashtra, 64 from Tamil Nadu, 57 from Karnataka, 42 from Delhi, 27 from Uttar Pradesh and 26 from West Bengal.
Andhra Pradesh reported 15 fatalities, Gujarat 14, Telangana eight and Rajasthan six. Assam and Jammu and Kashmir reported five deaths each, followed by Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Punjab with four deaths each, and Haryana and Puducherry with three fatalities each. Two people have succumbed to the infection in Chhattisgarh.
