Focus on 5 fold strategy to curb the virus, PM to CMs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on the need for creating micro-containment zones and extensive testing as a means to combat the second wave of Coronavirus. During a virtual meeting Thursday evening, with chief ministers to take stock of the situation in the country and ongoing vaccination programme. He also said that India has in the past successfully brought down the peak of Covid-19 cases and it can be done again.

"The world has also accepted the night curfew. Curfew makes people remember that they are living in the age of Corona. It is good that we promote Night Curfew as 'Corona Curfew'. This will not affect work too much," the Prime Minister said. Setting a target of 70 per cent RT-PCR tests for the states, PM Modi said this is the only way to identify and fight the virus. Proactive testing is very important... Now more cases are asymptomatic. People feel that they have some mild pulmonary disease and then they infect the whole family," he said, adding, "Testing and tracing is the most important thing right now and we have to bring the positivity rate below 5 per cent".

Asserting that the country now has much more resources to battle the virus, PM Modi also called upon the country to observe a "vaccine festival" between April 11 and 14 to inoculate the maximum number of eligible beneficiaries. PM Modi had said the five-fold strategy of testing, tracing, treatment, Covid-appropriate behaviour and vaccination, if implemented with utmost seriousness and commitment, would be effective in curbing the spread of the pandemic.