Will neither impose lockdown nor let people die in misery: CM Yogi
Asking officials to be on their toes to control the exponential spread of COVID-19 across the state, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has clarified that neither his government will impose a lockdown nor let the people die in misery.
“It is the responsibility of the officials to ensure that there is no shortage of hospital beds for the patients. People should get all facilities and there should be no shortage of essential items in the market,” the chief minister said while addressing officials in a meeting here on Monday.
Expressing anger over private hospitals and labs fleecing people by charging more than the prescribed rates, Yogi Adityanath directed the officials to take action against them. He said that nobody would be allowed to take advantage of the helplessness of the people.
“Stop it strictly. Incorrect information will result in harsh action against the guilty,” the chief minister said and directed officials to take over such hospitals.
“Investigation report should not be delayed and this should be communicated to the labs,” he said.
The chief minister has emphasised on the expansion of lab and testing capabilities. Instructions have been given to increase the RT-PCR test capacity to 70 per cent.
Yogi said: “Our priority is to implement an effective strategy to contain the spread of COVID-19. We will have to fight the pandemic vigorously with full preparation as there is no scope for any negligence in this fight.”
Praising his government’s efforts to control the spread of the novel coronavirus last year, the chief minister said, “Like last year, we will have to fight this war with great strength. For the same, we will have to increase the beds in Level-2 (with oxygen facility) and Level-3 (with ventilators) Covid hospitals in sufficient quantity,”
Yogi Adityanath also instructed the officials to dedicate half of the 108 ambulance service fleet for COVID-19 patients and the remaining half for non-Covid cases. He set the response time for these ambulances at 15 minutes. He laid emphasis on making the Integrated Command and Control Centre the focal point of the entire fight and monitoring its activity one by one.
Later, addressing reporters, Additional Chief Secretary (Information) Navneet Sehgal appealed to the people not to go to crowded areas and wear masks when they leave the house.
“Arrangements are being made to implement a strategy to control the infection. The number of beds (in Covid hospitals) has been increased and there is adequate availability of medical oxygen in the state,” he said and asked people not to get swayed by rumours.
Sehgal said that since April 11, Tika Utsav was being celebrated in 6,000 centres and their number had been increased to 8,000. He said so far the first dose of Covid vaccine had been given to 75.76 lakh people and 12.70 lakh people had been administered the second dose of the vaccine. Thus, he said, a total of 88 lakh vaccine doses had been given to people.
Sehgal said there were 23,937 containment zones in the state. He advised the people to cooperate with the government machinery and follow the restrictions imposed by them.
Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said the capacity of Covid testing had been increased. He said a total of 1,93,379 samples were tested in the last one day out of which 89,000 samples were tested through RT-PCR.
