Ensure use of mask, people follow social distancing to curb COVID-19: PM Narendra Modi to CMs

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (June 16, 2020) said that the efforts taken by the Centre and state governments in the past few weeks to curb the spread of coronavirus have started yielding positive results, claiming that the COVID-19 recovery rate has gone above 50% in India.

“In the last few weeks, thousands of Indians returned to India from abroad and hundreds of migrant workers reached their hometowns. Almost all modes of transport have resumed operations, still, COVID-19 impact has not been that huge in India as in other parts of the world. Because of the efforts made in the last few weeks, green shoots have begun to be visible in our economy,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this during his interaction with Chief Ministers of 21 states & UTs via videoconference.

The PM added that for the Centre, the death of even one Indian is "unsettling" but it is also true that India is one of the countries where there have been the least deaths due to COVID19.

Calling fight against coronavirus a fine example of ''cooperative federalism'', the PM said, “two weeks have passed since Unlock 1.0, our experience during this time could be beneficial for us in future. Today, I will get to know ground reality from you, your suggestions will help in chalking out future strategy.

"When India's fight against COVID-19 will be analysed in the future, this time will be remembered for how we worked together and served as an example of cooperative federalism," the PM said in the meeting.

During his interaction with the CMs, the PM said the economy is showing signs of improvement and encouraging us to move ahead. He said as the economy opens up, people should not down their guard to protect themselves and their loved ones from the virus.

PM Modi further told the Chief Ministers that recent reforms in the agriculture sector will benefit farmers and will provide new options to them to sell their produce, says PM

PM Modi also urged the Chief Ministers to ensure that no one steps out of his house without a mask. “I don't imagine stepping out without mask,” the Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while appealing to CMs to ensure 100% usage of masks or face covers amid a spurt in coronavirus cases in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is holding discussions with chief ministers and Lt governors of 21 states and union territories on ways to check the spread of novel coronavirus as thousands of fresh cases are being reported daily.

This is PM Modi's sixth interaction with the chief ministers since the outbreak of the deadly virus. The two-day virtual meet comes as the country witnesses an unabated spike in coronavirus cases.

India registered over 10,000 COVID-19 cases for the fifth day in a row pushing the tally to 3,43,091 on Tuesday, while the death toll rose to 9,900 with 380 new fatalities.

Chief ministers of Punjab, Kerala, Goa, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, and those of the northeastern states among others are taking part in the meet. L-Gs and administrators of some union territories are also attending Tuesday's brainstorming session.

On Wednesday, PM Modi will interact with chief ministers of 15 states and the LG of Jammu and Kashmir. These are the states where coronavirus cases are on a much higher side and include Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Based on suggestions made by the states, under "Unlock 1" several relaxations were made for public and businesses to ensure that economic activities hit by the lockdown gather momentum. But this has given rise to fear that it may trigger an increase in new cases.

PM Modi had on Saturday reviewed the steps being taken to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in areas with the high caseload and the road map for effective management of the situation.