 "Pondy Lt Guv seeks people's cooperation in fighting Covid-19 spread")
Expressing concern over the rise in number of coronavirus cases, Puducherry Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Saturday sought the cooperation of the public in containing the spread of COVID-19.
Addressing reporters after visiting the 'Corona War room' here, she advised youths to be wary of the virulent nature of the second wave of the pandemic and stay indoors.
"Government alone cannot function and discharge safety measures without the cooperation of the public to combat the virulent disease. Covid-19 in the current second wave is very ferocious and lethal and hence all, and more particularly the youth, should play a proactive role," she said.
The Lt Governor said that drugs, oxygenated beds and other infrastructural facilities have been ramped up.
The Centre had provided adequate stock of anti-viral drug Remdesivir to Puducherry.
She said the territorial administration had taken over hospital services in five privately run medical colleges.
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She said doctors were functioning round the clock in the war rooms and guiding the people.
Eighty ambulances were now available for transport of patients to the hospitals. In addition to this, Emergency ambulances under phone number 108 were also available.
Food packets were available at subsidised rate of Rs 5 per packet through the PONLAIT (cooperative milk society) milk booths here, she said.
Face masks at the rate of Re 1 per mask and sanitisers for Rs 10 were also available.
The Lt Governor said doctors, nurses and other health staff were taken care of through incentives and Rs 5 crore has been set apart to foot the bill for payment of incentives to health care workers.
She said she had visited Karaikal region on Friday and saw for herself the facilities, including generation of oxygen for the COVID patients, available there.
The Lt Governor said the government was mulling levying fine on those moving about in public places unnecessarily.
She said rice at the rate of five kg for each of two months (May and June) is being supplied free of cost to people through ration shops keeping with the guidelines issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mitigate sufferings of the poorer sections due to the current lockdown.
Puducherry district collector Purva Garg said in a release that the test positivity rate has come down to 17.4 in Puducherry.
She said 1,79,375 persons have got the first shot of immunisation so far, while 48,560 persons have received second dose of vaccination.
She said the two-week long lockdown, enforced since May 10, was strictly enforced in Puducherry and 2,700 persons have been fined and fine totalling Rs 2.70 lakh has been collected.
Thirty-four persons have been booked for violating the lockdown norms.
Essential commodities were available to the residents in containment zones through the Federation of Traders, she added.