Mustn’t Let COVID Situation Deteriorate: PM Before Festive Season

Modi’s address comes amid the coronavirus pandemic, with daily cases having declined in the last few weeks.

The PM took to Twitter to announce that he would be “sharing a message” with citizens of the country.

(Photo: IANS)

India has reached stable situation as far as the COVID-19 outbreak is concerned, but we must not let it deteriorate, PM Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, 20 October, in his address to the nation.

"In this festive season, markets are bright again, but we need to remember that the lockdown might have ended but COVID-19 still persists. With the efforts of every Indian over last 7-8 months, India is in a stable situation we must not let it deteriorate," he said.

Modi’s address comes as the number of daily coronavirus infections have come down in the last one month, with a government-appointed panel saying that India has crossed its peak. However, concerns have been raised over the possibility of a spike with the onset of winters and the festive season.

‘People Are Not Careful Anymore, This Isn’t Right’

Calling for continued adherence to practices such as wearing of masks and physical distancing, Modi said, "Recently, we saw many photos and videos where it is clearly seen that people are not careful anymore. This isn't right. If you step out without mask, you put your families at risk. We must remember – whether it is America or Europe, cases declined and then there was a sudden spike.”

The PM, during his address, also drew attention to India performing better than other countries on various COVID-19 parameters such as the recovery rate and the case fatality rate.

"Today, the recovery rate in the country is good. The fatality rate is low. 5,500 people out of a population of 10 lakh in India are infected, whereas in countries like the US and Brazil, this figure is around 25,000... The fatality rate in India is 83 out of every 10 lakh population in India, whereas it is more than 600 in countries like the US, Brazil, Spain, Britain," PM Modi said.

Speaking on the much-talked about topic of vaccines, the prime minister said that all countries are trying to roll-out the vaccine on a war footing, while assuring Indians that the government is taking all steps possible to make the vaccine available to all.

The prime minister also mentioned that India has a facility of more than 90 lakh beds for COVID-19 patients and that there are 12,000 quarantine centres and 2,000 testing labs.

“Number of tests will cross 10 crore soon. In our fight against COVID, rise in the number of tests has been our strength,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi’s Swipe at Modi’s Address

Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was quick to take a swipe at PM Modi ahead of his address, as he asked him to "tell the nation the date by which you will throw the Chinese out of Indian territory”.