Uttarakhand CM asks people not to lower their guard against coronavirus

Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has asked people in Uttarakhand not to lower their guard against coronavirus, saying if the contagion reaches the hilly areas, the poor health infrastructure there wouldn't be able to cope with the challenge.

"Thousands of people who were working outside the state have returned to their village homes. I am told they are spending time playing volleyball, football, cricket and cards.

"This is not the time for such activities. They must maintain physical distance from each other to safe," the chief minister said in a message on Facebook live late on Monday night.

Asking people to strictly follow the norms of social distancing, he said if coronavirus reaches the hilly areas of the state which has poor health infrastructure, the situation will be difficult to cope with.

"We cannot afford to lower our guard against coronavirus. Look at what happened in Italy, Spain or France. Coronavirus does not forgive you even for an unintentional mistake," he said, asking people to maintain all precaution and not leave their homes unless very necessary.

However, Rawat also thanked people of the state for showing great restraint so far during the lockdown and hoped they will comply with the norms even more strictly in the coming days.

Meanwhile, government spokesman and cabinet minister Madan Kaushik said people who have reached their village homes will be examined as a precautionary measure.

About hundreds of strandedpeople, who have been brought from different parts of the country over the last few days, Kaushik said they will be allowed to proceed to their homes only after they finish the 14-day quarantine.