Expressing solidarity with the Centre's efforts to tackle the COVID-19 crisis, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The world has been forced to take urgent, immediate measures to contain the rapid spread of the Covid-19 virus and India is currently in the midst of a three-week lockdown."
“It is critical for us to understand that India’s conditions are unique. We will be required to take different steps than other large countries, who are following a total lockdown strategy,” Rahul Gandhi said in the letter.
“The number of poor people in India who are dependent on a daily income is simply too large for us to unilaterally shut down all economic activity. The consequences of a complete economic shut down will disastrously amplify the death toll arising from the Covid-19 virus," he further said.
“We must immediately strengthen the social safety net and use every public resource we have to support and shelter the working poor. Large population centres will require big dedicated hospitals with thousands of beds and ventilators.
“It is critical that we start setting up these structures and manufacturing the equipment that would be required, as fast as is humanly possible. At the same time, we need to dramatically increase the number of tests that we are carrying out to get an accurate picture of the spread of the virus and to contain it,” added Rahul Gandhi.
The elderly and the vulnerable should be isolated for protection from the virus and the young should be communicated on the dangers of proximity to older people, Mr Gandhi said.
A couple of days back Congress President Sonia Gandhi wrote to PM Modi for the second time.
