Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday that the movement of migrant labourers poses no risk as they have never even come in with those who brought the novel coronavirus to the country.
New Delhi, May 9:
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday that the movement of migrant labourers poses no risk as they have never even come in with those who brought the novel coronavirus to the country.
Speaking at a session of E-Agenda Aaj Tak, Union Minister Health Minister said that even when the migrant labourers came out on the roads during the initial days of the nationwide lockdown, they did not pose as a threat and there were no reports of them spreading the coronavirus.
The government has laid out guidelines to ensure that a coronavirus carrier does not spread the infection, he said.
He said, “Migrant workers, who travel back to their hometowns, will be quarantined and all precautions will be taken. No unusual situation will arise due to their movement. We will be able to solve this problem also.”
Lauding the country’s battle against the pandemic, Harsh Vardhan said that India is doing much better than the rest of the world.
“Around 56,000 people have been affected by coronavirus in India, nearly 1,800 have died due to it and 17,000 have recovered. India’s population is 135 crore, equivalent to that of 20 major countries put together. India is doing much better than the rest of the world. People are sincerely following government’s directions,” Harsh Vardhan said.
On being asked as to why some parts of India are doing worse than the rest of the country, Harsh Vardhan said that there are many reasons to this.
While Vardhan said he firmly believes that the situation in the worst-hit states will also be brought under control soon, he also mentioned that several factors such as congested clusters, Markaz event, and the heavy movement of migrants in these areas have led to an increase In cases.
“Places like Delhi and Mumbai have several congested clusters, lakhs of people live in such small areas and social distancing is not fully possible in these areas,” he said.
Relaxations in Lockdown 3.0 reason behind increase in cases?
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan once said that social distancing is the best vaccine available to keep the novel coronavirus at bay. Today, at E-Agenda Aaj Tak also, he reiterated that social distancing is the best and the most useful way in which we can check the spread of the infection.
“I am an eternal optimist and believe in karm. We started the fight first and the entire country supported us. PM Modi’s orders were followed. All state governments and ministries are following the lockdown diligently. Our Integrated Surveillance System is paramount,” Harsh Vardhan said.
“Someone predicted that India will see more than 300 million by May-June and will see a coronavirus Tsunami. I believe, as we are already in May, mathematical calculations cannot predict how a country will fight a crisis,” Vardhan said.
Coronavirus peak in June-July?
Responding to AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria’s predictions that India will see coronavirus outbreak’s peak in June and July and will record the most cases during the same time, Harsh Vardhan said, “We will not only flatten the curve in the coming weeks, we will also reverse it.
“I have read Dr Guleria’s comments, however, I haven’t spoken to him yet. I am optimistic that in the coming weeks, our curve will not only flatten but will also reverse. We will win,” Vardhan exuded confidence.
India testing enough?
To the question as to whether India is conducting as many tests as it should be, Harsh Vardhan said, “We have come up from one to 400 laboratories, we are conducting more than 80,000 tests per day now. We had set a target of conducting 1 lakh tests a day by May 31. We are not behind any country when it comes to testing”.
He also praised some states, such as Karnataka, that are conducting over 1,000 tests even in unaffected districts.
Regarding the faulty Rapid Testing kits that were bought from Chinese companies, Harsh Vardhan said that after some states complained about their quality, Centre also got them tested and found them not up to the mark.
Vardhan added that the government is waiting for good kits from other countries now, however, in a few days made in India RT-PCR and Antibody Test kits will be ready.
“Our scientists are working towards making indigenous RT-PCR test kits and anti-body test kits and in the near future, made in India kits will be used for testing in the country,” Vardhan said.
What happens after May 17
Lastly, on whether the lockdown will end after May 17 or will be extended, Harsh Vardha said that like always, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold meetings and will discuss with all the states, officials, and experts and then decide the next course of action.
He added that whatever decision PM Modi takes on May 16, will be in the public interest, “just like all his decisions”.
Courtesy: India Today
