'Time for more stringent actions'
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 27 2021:
The time is right for the Government to take stringent steps in addition to the lockdown and curfew to curb the spread of COVID-19 .
Pangeijam Saratchandra, secretary, Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) said this in a video message uploaded on his social media handle and added that restrictions were imposed in the State since April 29 to prevent the rapid spread of the virus.
However, the number of positive cases and fatalities has been increasing uncontrollably and the recovery rate has also plummeted to 83% while the National recovery rate stands at 90%, he added.
Ramping up vaccination, providing nutritious food to the public and making sure the public observes all SOPs mandated by relevant Government authorities can be taken as some major steps in the fight against the pandemic, he added.
Regarding vaccination, P Saratchandra said the vaccination programme which was kicked off on January 16 has been able to cover only about 10% of the total population of the State while the National vaccination stands at around 14% which is still very low compared to other countries like USA (86%) and UK (91%).At the current rate of vaccination in the State, it will take about 40 months or until September 2024 to cover the entire population of Manipur, he said.
He appealed the Government to consider ramping up vaccination in order to cover the maximum population at the earliest.
It is a well known and established fact that eating well balanced and nutritious food in time and incorporating regular exercise are helpful in keeping the immune system strong.
In view of this many NGOs, CSOs and individuals have been providing relief materials to the public at such a crucial juncture, he added.
P Saratchandra added that he supports the decision of the Government to ban distribution of relief materials as a means to garner publicity or for political purposes and also suggested keeping names of people who donated to Chief Minister Relief Fund away from the public.
It will also be fruitful to delegate the role of Health Minister to another MLA, he added.