Beware! Virus still there: All must be cautious during festivities, warns PM Modi

New Delhi: "We shouldn't forget that even though the lockdown is gone, the virus has not. The state that India is in right now, we should not let it go down. We must strive to improve it," said Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation here on Tuesday.

His address came amid fears of a second wave sweeping across the country even though the situation seems to be improving with the active cases coming down and the recovery rate going up. Onset of winter is not seen as a good sign in the wake of Covid-19.

India's Covid-19 tally is close to 76 lakhs but for the first time in nearly three months, the country has recorded less than 50,000 new cases in a day. The Health ministry reported 46,790 fresh cases in the last 24 hours, which takes the overall cases to 75,97,063.

The Prime Minister had earlier announced his intention to speak to the nation while inviting people to join him through his Twitter account.

It is said that the Prime Minister got disturbed with the visuals of people going about in the markets, workplaces and other areas without any precautions or following Covid-19 protocols and hence, decided to go live on the issue at this crucial juncture.

"India will soon cross the 10 crore test number, which has been a major asset in our fight against the pandemic. Our doctors, nurses and health workers have all served our massive population minutely. This is not the time to be careless," he said.

"We have tackled Covid to a large extent. Our recovery rate is among the highest in the world, the fatality rate is low. Out of every million, we have around 83 deaths. This, compared to other nations, which see around 600 deaths per million, is much better. Over 90 lakh beds are available for patients. 2,000 labs are working for Covid tests," said the Prime Minister.

"To give our lives some momentum, and to keep our homes running, we are slowly venturing out again. Festivals are also upon us, but we must not forget that while the lockdown may have ended, the virus hasn't. It is still very much a threat. The state that India is in right now, we should not let it go down.

We must strive to improve it," said Modi. Modi said: "if you are careless, walking out without a mask, then you are putting yourself, your family, your children, the elderly in trouble. In Europe, America and other countries, the number of cases have seen a hike yet again after seeing a reduction. We should continue to be careful and not be callous until the vaccine of the virus is created."

Several versions of vaccines are being worked upon in India as well. Some of them are at an advanced stage. The government is also working to prepare the nation to ensure that the vaccine reaches every India as soon as possible:

Modi continued emphasizing on the social distancing factor: "2 gaz ki doori is essential,"

he said, asking people to continue using sanitizers and keep washing hands till one gets the vaccine.