Concerned to see crowds without masks: PM

New Delhi, Jul 13 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed concern over people crowding at hill stations and markets without wearing masks or observing social distancing norms, as he urged all to guard against complacency to prevent a third wave of the coronavirus spread.
“If we remain cautious and take precautions we will be able to prevent the third wave…there should be no compromise in this,” he said, while also stressing that the vaccination drive needs to be continuously ramped up.
The prime minister was speaking during an interaction with chief ministers of eight Northeastern states through video conferencing. Modi said the COVID-19 situation was worrisome in some districts of the region and urged the chief ministers to stay alert and act fast to check the further spread of the virus. The PM said stricter steps were needed at the micro-level to check the virus spread and called for greater emphasis on micro-containment zones. Noting the fast mutating nature of the coronavirus, the prime minister advised strict monitoring of the changes and keeping track of all variants.
Experts are studying the mutations and their impact and in such a scenario, prevention and treatment are critical, he said. Modi emphasised that the utility of physical distancing, masks, vaccines is clear and the path of testing, tracking and treatment is a proven strategy.
“It is true that tourism, trade and business have been greatly affected due to the coronavirus. But today I will say with great emphasis that having huge crowds in hill stations, markets without masks and not following COVID protocols is a matter of concern and is not right,” Modi said.
The prime minister urged people to shun the argument that they “want to enjoy before the third wave of coronavirus”.
“Kai baar hum ye tark sunte hain aur kuch log toh bada sina taan ke bolte hain ‘arey bhai teesri leher aane se pehle hum enjoy karna chahte hain’. Ye baat logon ko samjhana zaroori hai ki teesri leher apne aap nahi aayegi (Many times we hear the argument and some say it with great assertion that ‘we want to enjoy before the third wave comes’. It is important to make people understand that the third wave will not come on its own),” Modi said.
The main question in our mind should be how to prevent the third wave and implement the COVID protocol strictly, he said.
Experts are repeatedly warning against carelessness and crowding as that can lead to a massive surge in cases, Modi said.
The prime minister strongly advocated preventing avoidable gatherings.
The virtual meeting was attended by chief ministers of Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram, as also by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, among others.
The chief ministers thanked the prime minister for timely action in handling the COVID-19 pandemic and appreciated his special care and concern for the Northeast.
In his remarks, the prime minister said that in the ‘vaccine for all-free for all’ campaign of the central government, the Northeast too has the same importance, as he stressed the need to keep accelerating the vaccination process.
To deal with the myths about vaccination and for mobilising people, Modi asked the chief ministers to enlist the help of social, educational institutes, celebrities and also religious organisations.
He called for accelerating the vaccination drive in areas where the spread of the virus is expected.
Referring to the recent Cabinet approval of a Rs 23,000 crore package for improving the infrastructure for testing and treatment, the prime minister said that it will help in strengthening the health infrastructure of the Northeast.
This package will expedite testing, diagnostics and genome sequencing in the Northeast, he said.
Modi also stressed the need for rapidly increasing the number of beds, oxygen facilities and paediatric care infrastructure in the Northeast.