On the eve of the Durga Puja, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday appealed to the people to wear masks, maintain social distancing and avoid crowded places as the coronavirus is still very much around and negligence can bring about disaster for families.
Referring to the pictures and videos that showed either people had become too negligent or stopped following protocols, the Prime Minister cautioned the people against any laxity until an effective cure is found.
"This (moving around without protection) is absolutely not right. Those who have become negligent and are moving around without masks are putting themselves and their families, including children and elderly, at risk," Modi said on Tuesday in his seventh national address since the pandemic struck India.
The Centre has launched a massive campaign for the month long Durga Puja-Dussehra-Diwali-Eid-Chhath Puja season, repeatedly telling the people not to lower their guards as the virus is very much on the prowl and there was no cure yet.
Modi cited the examples of the US and several European countries which witnessed a sudden and worrisome rise in the recent past after witnessing a fall.
Earlier Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan in a presentation also flagged the second wave being seen in the USA, Spain, UK and France. If the number of cases per million in the last seven days are analysed, the jump was the highest in France that reported 2457 cases in the last week followed by the UK (1746), USA (1153) and Spain (936).
The Prime Minister asked the people to be careful and not callous until a vaccine is found. Countries across the world are working at a war-footing to develop a vaccine, and scientists in India have also been working hard in this regard.
“We must keep in mind that lock down may have ended, but the virus is still there. This is not the time to be negligent, this is not the time to believe that corona is gone or there is no danger from it,” Modi said.
"India is in a stable situation today due to the efforts of every Indian in the last seven-eight months, and we have to ensure that the situation does not deteriorate."