BENGALURU: To overcome the shortage of doctors to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday directed Karnataka and other states to rope in the services of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) doctors after providing them training online.
Speaking to mediapersons after the PM’s second video-conference with CMs to review the lockdown situation and preventive measures taken by the states, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said Modi also advised the states to popularise AYUSH guidelines to improve immunity. States have also been told to notify exclusive COVID-19 hospitals, inform the people about it and ensure that there is no shortage of medicines and essential food items.
Yediyurappa said the State Government is strictly implementing the PM’s instructions and a task force will be formed to look into the measures to be taken after April 14, when the nationwide lockdown ends. The CM, however, made it clear that how people conduct themselves during the lockdown will decide the future course of action.
“The PM advised the states to implement the lockdown effectively without affecting essential services and to deal stringently with curfew violations,” he said and added that he appreciated the states for effective implementation of the lockdown. Yediyurappa said that during the video-conference, the PM also advised them to isolate migrant workers and to provide them with basic amenities. Yediyurappa said the PM expressed concern over the situation across the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic and called for collaborative efforts to minimise the loss of human lives.
The CM also said 391 people who took part in the religious congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi have been kept under home and institutional quarantine. The others are being traced. He also appealed to all religious leaders to cooperate by creating awareness about the COVID-19 pandemic within their communities and to cooperate with the government. He said there is a possibility that people who attended the congregation might have gone to various districts to take up religious activities and got stuck there due to the lockdown. The district authorities have been directed to quarantine them wherever they are and report them. This process requires a lot of enquiries and technical efforts, he said, adding that it has been decided to test all of them.
Social distancing for farmers
The CM said agricultural activities are exempted from the lockdown, but farmers should practice social distancing strictly. The PM also asked states to ensure social distancing in banks when people visit to withdraw money trans-ferred under PM-Garib Kalyan package.