PM Modi to interact with CM's of Andhra, TN, Karnataka, Odisha, Maharashtra, Kerala on July 16

New Delhi, July 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to interact with chief minister's of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Maharashtra, Kerala on July 16 to discuss COVID-19 situation.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi interacted with Chief Ministers of the North-Eastern states on COVID-19 situation.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister lauded the people, health workers and the governments of Northeast for their hard work in the fight against the pandemic and creating infrastructure for testing, treatment and vaccination despite the difficult terrain of the states.

The Prime Minister expressed his worry over the growing number of cases in some districts and stressed the need to catch these signals and take strict actions at the micro level. He reemphasized the use of micro containment protocol in dealing with the situation. He asked to make full use of the experience and best practices gathered over the last one and half years in this regard.

Noting the fast mutating nature of the virus, the Prime Minister advised strict monitoring of the mutation and keep track of all variants. He informed experts are studying the mutations and their impact. In such scenario, prevention and treatment are critical, he said emphasizing covid appropriate behaviour. Shri Modi emphasized that utility of physical distancing, mask, vaccine is clear. Similarly, strategy of testing tracking and treatment is a proven strategy.

Acknowledging the impact of pandemic on tourism and business, the Prime Minister strongly cautioned against crowding at hill stations without observing proper precautions. Rejecting the argument that people want to enjoy before the arrival of the third wave, he said that this need to be understood that the third wave will not come on its own. He said that the main question in our mind should be how to prevent the third wave. Experts are repeatedly warning against carelessness and crowding as they can lead to massive surge in cases. He strongly advocated preventing avoidable crowding.

The Prime Minister said that in the 'vaccine for all-free for all' campaign of the central government, Northeast too has the same importance and we need to keep accelerating the vaccination process. To deal with the myths pertaining to vaccination and mobilising people, the Prime Minister asked to enlist the help of social, educational institutes, celebrities and also the organizations of religious faith. He asked to accelerate the vaccination drive in the areas where spread of the virus is expected.