PATNA: The Bihar government on Wednesday asserted that it saw no need to clamp a fresh lockdown in the wake of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases since the situation here was "not as bad as in some other states".
State health minister Mangal Pandey made a statement to this effect in reply to questions from journalists who approached him after he attended a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
"There is no need for a lockdown in Bihar. The situation here is not as bad as in some other states. On Tuesday, the total number of active cases across all districts was just 1500. Some districts even have single-digit tallies," he said.
He was asked whether the Bihar government was mooting bringing in a fresh lockdown amid fears of a "second wave" of COVID-19 which had the world in its throes for much part of last year.
The minister pointed out that the state has managed to bring the spread of the coronavirus sufficiently under control and had a handsome recovery rate of "98.8 per cent, slightly lower from over 99 per cent achieved recently".
He nonetheless made it clear "the government shall be fully alert" in implementation of preventive measures like social distancing and wearing of masks besides quick testing, isolation and treatment of those who complain of symptoms.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who is monitoring coronavirus situation on a daily basis has on numerous occasions urged citizens to follow COVID protocol sincerely.