Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it must be remembered that the Covid threat is far from over.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today told the council of ministers that there is no space for complacency as far as the Covid situation in the country is concerned and asked them to request people to keep taking precautions. Interacting with the ministers the day after a mega cabinet reshuffle, the Prime Minister referred to visuals of crowding and people roaming around without masks and said this is not a pleasant sight and should instil a sense of fear in us, according to sources.
The Prime Minister said that owing to the efforts of Covid warriors and frontline workers, the country's fight against the pandemic is underway with full vigour. "We are steadily vaccinating substantial numbers of our nation's population. Testing is also consistently high," he said.
"At such a time, there should be no space for carelessness or complacency. A single mistake would have far-reaching impacts and weaken the fight to overcome COVID-19," the Prime Minister added.
He said that with the daily Covid numbers dropping at most places in the country, people may want to venture out. But everyone must remember that the threat of Covid is far from over, he warned, adding that many countries are witnessing a spike in cases and the virus is also mutating.
"As ministers, our aim should not be to instil fear but to request people to keep taking all possible precautions so that we are able to move beyond this pandemic in the times to come," the Prime Minister told the Council of Ministers.
The Prime Minister expressed concern at the consistently high number of Covid cases being reported in Maharashtra and Kerala.
The Prime Minister's words of caution come at a time when visuals of crowding at hill stations and other public places following a relaxation in Covid curbs have set off alarm bells. The government has warned that not following Covid-appropriate behaviour may nullify the gains made in the management of the pandemic so far.
India on Thursday recorded 45,892 new Covid cases and 817 deaths over the past 24 hours. The number of active cases in the country currently stands at 4,60,704.
About 36.48 crore doses of coronavirus vaccines have been administered so far.