The national capital Delhi has recorded biggest single day spike of 28,395 new Covid-19 cases and 277 more deaths on Monday; tally breaches 900,000.
In India, the caseload of active cases breached the 2 million-mark as the Covid-19 situation remained grim in several states.
Amid a staggering surge in COVID-19 cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said a lockdown should be the “last resort” to deal with the raging pandemic and asked states to convince migrant workers to stay put at their places of work with a guarantee for their lives and livelihood.
In an address to the nation, He also called upon all stakeholders, including the pharmaceutical industry, to deal collectively with the immediate challenge of the shortage of oxygen cylinders.
Outlining a number of measures taken by his government, including ramping up of the production and supply of oxygen and medicine for allowing vaccination for everyone above 18 years of age from the next month, Modi said he also empathises with the pain of those having lost their family members.
The country is fighting a very big battle against the pandemic, he said, adding that its second wave has hit it like a storm after the condition appeared to have stabilized.
“The challenge is big but we have to overcome it with our resolve, courage and preparation,” he said.
The two key messages of Modi’s over 20 minute-long address was, however, to virtually rule out any immediate nationwide lockdown, a move that had triggered a massive migration of workers from big cities last year and hit the economy hard, and to reach out to migrants.
