Prime Minister had an interaction with chief ministers of ten worst affected states to discuss the current situation and plan ahead for tackling the coronavirus pandemic.
“We need to follow a new mantra – all
those who have come in contact with an infected person should be traced and tested within 72 hours. 80% of active cases are from 10 states, if the virus is defeated here, the entire country will emerge victorious. The target of bringing down the fatality rate below 1% can be achieved soon,” said a hopeful PM.
He also emphasised on the need to increase the number of tests. “It has emerged from the discussion that there is an urgent need to ramp up testing in Bihar, Gujarat, UP, West Bengal, and Telangana. Containment, contact tracing, and surveillance are the most effective weapons in this battle,” he said.
Representatives of ten states including
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Bihar,
Gujarat, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh were in attendance. Karnataka was represented by the Deputy Chief Minister.