New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the chief ministers of eight north-eastern states on Tuesday to discuss the Covid-19 situation amid concerns over the coronavirus numbers in the region.
He stressed on the need to accelerate the vaccination programme in order to combat the third wave from flaring.
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PM Modi during his interaction with the chief ministers of Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram via video-conferencing he reviewed the COVID-19 situation in the North-East. He said that there is a need to focus on improving the infrastructure related to testing and treatment.
For which the cabinet has also approved a new package of Rs 23,000 crore. This package will help every state in the North East to strengthen its health infrastructure, he noted.
He also expressed concern over crowds at hillstations, he said that while he understood that tourism, business and business have been greatly affected due to Covid.
"But today I will say very emphatically that it is not okay to have huge crowds in hill stations, markets without wearing masks".
While most parts of the country have seen a steady decline in the Covid numbers, the northeast region has been a cause of concern with the number of cases either rising or not falling in line with the nationwide trend, experts have noted.
He stated that the COVID-19 situation is worrisome in some districts of North-East and that there is a need to stay alert and act fast to check the further spread of the virus.