Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday said COVID-19 could be brought to an end only if people vowed “not to get infected and spread it to others.”
“Though people express fear about the disease in their conversations, it is not getting reflected in their activities. There is a need to warn them,” he said, addressing a COVID-19 consultative panel of MLAs from all parties at the Secretariat.
Mr. Stalin said though a total lockdown had been imposed for the benefit of the people and to save their lives, it was a matter of great concern that some people had not realised its seriousness.
“Some are treating the lockdown as a holiday and are roaming around. They are not realising that it is a pandemic and not a holiday,” he said.
Explaining that some relaxations had been introduced to allow people to buy essentials and vegetables, the Chief Minister said some people had taken advantage of them to venture out. “The police advised them not to roam around, but their advice was not heeded to,” he said.
Mr. Stalin said invaluable lives were lost in the last year, and there was uncertainty over the future of families who had lost their loved ones. “We have to put an end to these deaths,” he said
The Chief Minister said medical professionals, nurses and frontline workers were undergoing untold suffering and a lot of doctors had succumbed to the infection.
“The Medical Department is going through great mental strain. Medical professionals are working unmindful of the threat to their lives. We cannot afford to subject them to more pressure,” Mr. Stalin said.
He said school and college students were also facing a crisis due to the pandemic. “Holidays were treated with joy once. Now holidays have become a pain. They may be depressed. How long can we keep schools and colleges shut? We have to secure their education and futures soon,” he said.
Mr. Stalin said though the infection rate had come down, it was not under control.
