PM Stress on Imposing Micro-Containment Zones, “Corona Curfew”

NEW DELHI, Apr 8: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday stressed the need for imposing micro-containment zones in areas where Covid-19 cases are rising.

Modi held a meeting with chief ministers to take stock of the situation in the country and ongoing vaccination programme. He also said India has in the past successfully brought down the peak of Covid-19 cases and it can be done again.

Modi reminded the chief ministers that India was able to successfully bring the Covid-19 wave down last year without any vaccine.

“Test, track and treat remains an effective strategy to check the spread of the disease,” PM Modi said while addressing the chief ministers, calling the situation in the country challenging. He said this should be particularly followed in containment zones.

“There is a need to work on war footing again to fight Covid-19. Despite all the challenges, we have a better experience, resources and vaccines,” he said.

The Prime Minister also backed the night restrictions imposed by several states to check the spread of the infection and pointed out how laxity shown by people of the country has resulted in the resurgence in the number of cases. “We should start an aggressive campaign to urge people to go for testing,” the Prime Minister said.

“We have to make people aware about how they can catch the infection. And aggressive testing is the only way,” he added, emphasising on increasing the RT-PCR test.

“I appeal to you all to stress on Covid-19 testing. Our target is to do 70% RT-PCR tests. Let the number of positive cases come high, but do maximum testing. Proper sample collection is very important, it can be checked through proper governance,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister gave CMs the target to bring down the country’s positivity rate below 5%. “Many states including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Punjab have crossed first wave of peak in Covid-19 cases. This is a serious concern. People have become complacent. In most states administration has also become relaxed,” said PM Modi.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee did not attend the virtual meeting due to campaigning for the ongoing assembly elections in the state. Chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay represented her, said officials.

Following are some of the important points made by the Prime Minister:

• Several states are showing grave trends of cases rising
• People and administration both seem to have become casual and this has increased our troubles
• We need to get back to combating Corona on a war footing
• Compared to earlier we have more experience, resources and a vaccines
• I request all states to rely on the experience they garnered through the last year
• We didn’t have PPE kits, labs for testing , ventilators etc so we had to develop capacity through a lockdown
• Our concentration should be on a micro containment strategy
• I also request you to rename night curfew as “Corona curfew”
• It would be good to start this Corona curfew around 9pm and end early morning
• Please do concentrate on micro containment zone and we will gain from that
• Last time we had brought down 10 lakh active cases to 1.25 lakh cases, we can do so again as we now have better experience
• Test, track , treat and COVID appropriate behaviour and management is the way to go forward
• I ask a question – nowadays many patients are asymptomatic and are casual and spread it around, families are getting affected. Proactive testing is the way to deal with this.
• More than discussing about vaccines we must stress on testing
• We have an important way of containment of the virus, that is to contain the human source
• Earlier states had been praised and criticised looking at case rates, I said it then and I say it now not to bother about it, keep testing rates high. Let those who criticise do so
• Our target is to have 70% as RTPCR tests
• I have heard that some samples are being taken in a lethargic, superficial way, that should be stopped
• In our last meeting too we had agreed that high number of RTPCR tests should be done and properly
• Containment zones should have testing for all living in it
• Mortality rates are also a cause of concern, we must make sure this must be as low as possible
• We must have an analysis of cases where death has occurred, at what stage was patient tested, what comorbidities he/she had
• On Vaccination- across the world, even rich countries have set criteria for vaccination and India has not done anything differently
• New vaccines are being considered, manufacturing is also being looked at. Their stock etc is also being reviewed periodically
• Our purpose should be to vaccinate as many people as possible in the eligible category
• I appeal to the youth to follow COVID SOPs
• The digital outreach for vaccines should be smoothened by youth among people who have issues dealing with digital registration
• Even after vaccine COVID SOPs should be followed
• The carelessness that has crept in on following mask wearing and social distancing has to be combated
• Can states have all party meetings called by the governor to design this campaign?
• Summits, webinars etc should be held by state governors to reinforce Covid appropriate behaviour
• Focus on testing, vaccination is going to go on for some time

(Manas Dasgupta)