PANAJI: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday cautioned that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet and people should not take it for granted.
The vice president was addressing a select gathering of Konkani and Marathi intellectuals and writers at Raj Bhavan in Goa in the presence of Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai.
In India, we are fortunate, hats off to our scientists, our medical fraternity, our policy makers, the Central and state governments and various institutions. We were able to fight back successfully and compared to many other western countries our performance was better, Naidu said.
But the pandemic is not yet over. This is my caution to the people of my country. Don't take it for granted, he said.
People must maintain honourable distance and follow hygienic advices given by the government and scientists from time to time, the vice president said.
Washing hands, keeping oneself clean, keeping surroundings neat and clean are elementary things that everyone should follow and also remain physically fit, he said.
Naidu further said that compared to people living in cities, those in rural areas are less affected.
Physical activity has helped people in rural areas along with the native food that they eat, he added.