VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday appealed to the people to unite in the ongoing battle against coronavirus irrespective of caste, region or religion.
Addressing the people of the State, he termed as unfortunate the spread of the virus at a religious congregation in New Delhi — in an indirect reference to the Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin where hundreds of people from across the country were infected.
“There is no reason to attribute its spread in the State to any particular community. Some from our State went to the religious congregation in Delhi where people from foreign countries also participated. Some of them were infected and coronavirus has spread from there. This is no reason to blame a particular community. It must be seen as an unfortunate incident that happened,’’ he said.
Stating that religious congregations are held by religious and spiritual gurus like the Art of Living’s Ravi Shankar, Jaggi Vasudev of Isha Foundation, Mata Amritanandamayi, Paul Dhinakaran or John Wesley who have a large following not only in India but also the globe, the Chief Minister observed that such an unfortunate incident could have happened anywhere in a congregation of any other faith. We should not discriminate people as it happened that way and was not premeditated.
"We have to put up a united fight as Indians,” he emphasised. The Chief Minister repeatedly stressed that it is unfair to see members of one particular community as culprits. “Coronavirus does not have discriminate between rich and poor,” he pointed out, adding that what we have to show is compassion, not discrimination.
The virus is an invisible enemy and we have to fight setting aside differences, he said and urged the people to join the nation in lighting a lamp at 9 pm on Sunday to drive away darkness. “We have to join the nation in lighting a lamp at 9 pm as called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to show unity as Indians,” he appealed. Referring to the frontline warriors, he said they would get full pay for the month. “The frontline staff like medical and health, police and sanitation departments would get their full pay without any deferment,” he added.
No fish, meat markets in Vizag, Eluru today
Keeping in view last Sunday’s experience at meat and fish markets, local authorities in Vizag and Eluru decided to shut down the markets today. Last Sunday, people threw social distancing norms to the wind and jostled with one another to buy meat and fish at the markets and all efforts of the authorities to bring order proved futile.