Prime Minister Narendra Modi rang up Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Sunday to enquire about the measures that Karnataka was putting in place against the second wave of COVID-19.
During the brief call in the morning, the Prime Minister advised Mr. Yediyurappa to concentrate on micro-containment zones. “During the interaction, information was provided on the measures that the State has taken to contain the spread of COVID-19. The Prime Minister expressed happiness with them. He advised us to focus on micro-containment,” Mr. Yediyurappa tweeted.
The call followed the Prime Minister’s virtual interaction with the Chief Ministers of all States on Thursday amid the rising cases of COVID-19.
Sources said that during the call, which lasted about five minutes, Mr. Yediyurappa, who was at Maski in Raichur as part of the byelection campaign, spoke about the State’s measures in containing the spread in eight high-incidence districts. He is learnt to have assured the Prime Minister that stricter measures would be implemented, if needed. When asked if the issue of a possible lockdown was discussed, sources in the Chief Minister’s Office clarified that lockdown was not an option since vaccines were available now along with medical infrastructure, unlike last year.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Raichur, Mr. Yediyurappa said the government had imposed night curfew to control COVID-19 spread since the spike in cases was going out of hand. “People also should cooperate with the efforts of the government. COVID-19 cases are increasing daily. Mr. Modi also expressed anxiety over the rise in cases,” he added.
