With lockdown relaxations expanding, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday cautioned people against showing any laxity in the fight against COVID-19 and asked them to be “extra alert and careful”, while acknowledging that the poor and labourers have been hit the hardest by the crisis.
The pain that the poor, working class and labourers suffered cannot be described in words, he said, stating that the current scenario is an “eye opener to happenings in the past” in the country and offers opportunity for scrutiny and lessons for the future.
In his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ broadcast, Modi noted that a big part of the economy has opened and train and flight services have begun operating partially with more relaxations on the anvil, but warned people against letting their guards down.
After such “austere penance and after so many hardships”, the country’s deft handling of the situation should “not go in vain”, he said.
The prime minister’s note of caution came on a day India registered its highest single-day spike of COVID-19 cases with 8,380 new infections, taking the country’s tally to 1,82,143, while the death toll rose to 5,164, according to the Union Health Ministry.
Modi said, “Whether it is the mandatory ‘do gaz ki doori’ (two yards of distancing), wearing face masks or staying at home to the best extent possible, there should be no laxity on our part in complete adherence (to the laid down norms).
“We must not let this fight weaken. Becoming careless or lackadaisical cannot be an option. The fight against coronavirus is still equally serious. You, your family, may still face grave danger from coronavirus,” he cautioned. In his address, the prime minister said all classes of people have suffered during the pandemic but it is the poor who have suffered the worst.