Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha and Maharashtra, where the number of Covid-19 cases have risen in several districts or have not come down in the recent past.
PM said that the states are witnessing the same situation which they had in January and February and to protect themselves from the havoc similar to April they need to take stringent measures and focus on more testing and vaccinating.
"The states reporting high new cases need to take proactive measures to stop the possibility of a third wave of COVID19. We need to move ahead with a focus on 'Test-Track-Treat- Vaccinate' approach", said PM Modi.
"The govt of India has announced a Rs 23,000 crore emergency response package to combat COVID19. The States must use funds from this package to strengthen health infrastructure. Infrastructural gaps need to be filled. There is also a need to focus on rural areas", said PM Modi.
PM said that the states need to adapt the approach taken by the northeastern states and focus on the micro containment zones instead of locking down an entire state or city. He said that more tracking needs to be done in rural areas and vaccination should be ramped up to keep the third wave from entering India.
PM Modi also said that as the scientists have been alerting about third-wave likely to impact the children, states should be ready with all the medical facilities and should raises awareness about building immunity for children.
The government had said earlier that nearly 73.4 per cent of new Covid-19 cases reported so far in July are from Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha.
On Tuesday, PM Modi had met the chief ministers of the northeastern states virtually and expressed concerns about people rushing to tourist spots and marketplaces without wearing masks and not following social distancing.