Mask is medicine until a vaccine is found, says PM
LUCKNOW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked Indians on Friday to wear masks and maintain social distancing until a Covid-19 vaccine is not found, adding that the battle for ‘lives and livelihood’ would not stop until it was won.
Speaking at the launch of the Atma Nirbhar Uttar Pradesh Rojgar Karyakram over video conference, Modi also attacked opposition parties over their handling of past crises while lauding Uttar Pradesh for its “hard work” in saving lives during the pandemic.
“Go out for work but follow the two metre distance norm, put a mask on your face and maintain cleanliness to win the battle for lives and livelihood. We are not aware when we will get rid of Covid. But there is only one medicine. It’s maintaining two meter distance and wearing a mask. Till a vaccine is developed, we will be able to get protection ourselves with this medicine,” Modi said.
The state job campaign, aimed at creating employment and infrastructure, is part of the ‘Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan’ that the prime minister launched on June 20 for 116 districts i six states. Thirty one of UP’s 75 districts are covered by the scheme.
In his speech, Modi drew a comparison between the Covid situation in the state -- the state has reported 21,130 cases and 630 deaths -- with that in some countries. “Take four European countries... 130,000 persons have died due to Covid there while only 600 persons have lost their lives in Uttar Pradesh… USA, too, is badly affected. USA has a population of 33 crore but 125,000 lives have been lost there. If UP had not prepared well it would have lost 85,000 lives.”