Modi asks Indians to accomplish better to stop COVID-19 amid new surge
21 April, 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi late on Tuesday (Apr 20) called on Indians to intensify their efforts to fight the coronavirus to ensure that fresh lockdowns aren't necessary, as the vast nation reels from an explosion of cases and the administrative centre runs dangerously short of oxygen supplies.
In his first address because the start of record-breaking new wave of infections, Modi acknowledged that the nation of just one 1.3 billion people was "once more fighting a big fight".
"The situation was under control till a couple weeks back, and this second corona wave came just like a storm," the Indian leader told the country in a televised speech.
"It is a huge challenge but we have to - together, with this courage and determination - overcome it ... We must avoid lockdowns and we have to give attention to mini containment zones instead."
India has been struggling to rein in its raging outbreak, with hospitals running out of beds and regional governments forced to reimpose economically painful restrictions.
The South Asian nation has recorded a lot more than three million new infections and 18,000 deaths this month, bringing its caseload to the world's second-highest, following the United States.
Its capital and worst-hit city New Delhi entered a week-long lockdown on Monday, with parks, cinemas and malls closed.
Maharashtra state, the epicentre of the recent surge and home to financial capital Mumbai, on Tuesday further tightened restrictions on grocery shops and home deliveries.
All non-essential shops and malls in the western state are shut until May 1.
Uttar Pradesh, home for some 240 million people, on Tuesday announced a weekend lockdown from Friday evening, whilst Telangana state in the south became the most recent to impose a night curfew.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who on Tuesday went into self-isolation after his wife tested positive, called on the national government to provide the administrative centre with oxygen amid a extreme shortage.
"Some hospitals are left with just a few hours of oxygen," he tweeted late Tuesday.
Delhi's lockdown prompted tens of thousands of migrant staff to flee the mega-city, in scenes similar to the national shutdown this past year that inflicted economic and human misery.
Modi said states had to assure migrant workers of support and vaccines in order that they would not go back to their villages.
"I appeal to states in order to avoid lockdowns and use them as a final resort," he added.
TRAVELS RESTRICTIONS
The huge surge in infections saw america update its travel advisory for India, following the STATE DEPT. announced Monday it would apply "usually do not travel" guidance to about 80 percent of countries worldwide, citing the unprecedented risk posed by the pandemic.
"Even fully vaccinated travellers ... should avoid all happen to be India," the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Singapore also boosted restrictions on arrivals from India on Tuesday, adding a week to the previously required 14-day quarantine period.
These moves follow Britain's decision on Monday to include India to its "red list", and Hong Kong's ban on all flights from the united states.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi, a senior leader of the opposition Congress party and scion of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, tweeted Tuesday that he previously tested positive but had "mild symptoms", 1 day after former prime minister Manmohan Singh, 88, was admitted to hospital with the virus.
MASS VACCINATIONS
In an indicator of how dangerously overstretched the hospitals are, persons are employing social media to appeal for medical supplies for his or her relatives.
On Monday night, a particular "Oxygen Express" train left Mumbai to the professional southern city of Visakhapatnam, carrying seven empty tanker trucks that should return full in four days.
Modi added that "all efforts are being made" to improve oxygen supplies.
Experts have warned that religious festivals and packed state election rallies have grown to be "superspreader" events - plus some have said mass vaccinations will be the only long-term solution.
India kicked off its inoculation drive in mid-January and has administered more than 127 million shots up to now.
From May, all adults should be able to get vaccinated, the federal government announced Monday.
Some local authorities have however been running short of supplies, and India has put the brakes on exports of the AstraZeneca shot.
Meanwhile, India's Bharat Biotech said Tuesday it is scaling up production of its homegrown Covaxin vaccine to 700 million doses each year.
Covaxin is being administered alongside AstraZeneca's shot in India, while approval in addition has been given for Russia's Sputnik V.
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