Centre's failure to stop inbound flights led to virus spread: Bhupesh Baghel

New Delhi : Blaming the Union government, Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel has said that "failure" to stop the inbound flights to the country has led to the spread of coronavirus as the disease has evolved in some other country and travelled to India through "carriers".

Baghel said, "Union government should have stopped all international flights as early as possible and all the inbound passengers should have been mandatorily quarantined. This could have prevented the spread of the virus."

Baghel also hit out at the central government for allowing Tablighi Jamaat event despite prohibitory orders. "If international passengers from hotspots have been stopped, the congregation could also not have happened. I am not giving clean chit to any organisation," said Baghel.

He also alleged that union government did not seek advice of the state governments before announcing the lockdown and now state governments are being reached out for their opinion on lifting the lockdown.

The Prime Minister has again called a meeting of all the chief ministers on April 11.

The State of Chhattisgarh has contained the spread of virus by quarantining all the international passengers and has done 3000 tests, claimed the chief minister, adding that Union Government has been informed about the asymptomatic Covid carrier in the state.

Regarding lifting of interstate travel restrictions, the Chhatisgarh chief minister said that he has written to the Prime Minister about it, which may come up during discussion on April 11.