“Not the time to be careless as Coronavirus is still around, small negligence can dampen the festive spirit”: PM Modi appeals to nation

Warning the people about the deadly coronavirus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made an appeal to people to follow Covid-19 guidelines. He said this was not the time to be careless as the virus was still around and even a small negligence could dampen the festive spirit.

In his seventh address to the nation following the Covid-19 outbreak, Modi cited examples of the United States and several European countries to note that coronavirus cases there had seen a sudden and worrisome rise after witnessing a fall, as he cautioned citizens against any laxity until an effective cure was found.

He said pictures and videos had of late emerged showing that many people had either stopped following precautions like wearing masks or had become negligent.

“This is absolutely not right. Those who have become negligent and are moving around without masks are putting themselves and their families, including children and elderly, at risk,” he said in his televised speech.

He noted that people had been getting on with their lives after the lockdown was lifted while economic activities were picking up and crowds are slowly returning to markets in the festive times.

“We must keep in mind that lockdown may have ended, but the virus is still there… This is not the time to be negligent, this is not the time to believe that corona is gone or there is no danger from it,” he said.