More on Covid-19

BENGALURU: Noting that the situation in the world due to the coronavirus pandemic was worrying, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Karnataka to ensure strict lockdown and social distancing to minimise losses, a senior official said on Thursday."We should minimise losses by ensuring strict lockdown and social distancing by those on call of duty, as the situation in the world due to the Covid-19 pandemic is worrying," the official told IANS quoting Modi, who interacted with Chief Ministers of all the states, including Karnataka, earlier in the day through video conferencing.Reviewing the enforcement of the 21-day lockdown across the country since March 24 midnight to contain the spread of the dreaded virus, Modi advised state Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to implement curfew measures without affecting essential services and deal sternly with its violators across the state."Modi also told the Chief Minister to isolate migrant workers and provide them with basic amenities in the relief camps where they are staying due to the lockdown and in the absence of public transportation service," said the official who was present at the meeting, on condition of anonymity.Appreciating the southern state for enforcing the lockdown with good governance and discipline, the Prime Minister said the supply of medicines and essential goods, including food, should not be disrupted at any cost for the people staying at home."People should be informed about the designated hospitals in the cities and towns across the state. There should be no shortage of doctors and nurses in the coming days," Modi asserted.He also advised the states to deploy doctors of tradition medicines (Ayush) and train them to fight the dreaded disease by improving the immunity of the Covid-19 patients."Social distancing must be maintained in all the banks when people go there to withdraw money transferred under the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan scheme," said the official citing Modi's advice.As agricultural activities are exempted from the lockdown, farmers should also practice social distancing strictly."Modi told Yediyurappa to evolve a mechanism for farmers to harvest Rabi crop with precautions," added the official.