Assam Chief Minister SarbanandaSonowal on Thursday urged religious leaders to send message to their respective communities that lockdown was essential to combat COVID-19 effectively.He interacted with religious leaders of different faiths here and asked them to ensure that their followers refrain from making provocative statements on social media which can destabilise the society.Religious leaders have great reach in the society and "I appeal to them to educate their followers about coronavirus and generate awareness about the disease," Sonowal said.He appreciated that the people of the state are following the lockdown instructions but also warned that strict action would be taken against those who defied it, jeopardizing their own and societys interest.People of all sections cutting across language, culture and religion must maintain strict lockdown norms to succeed in the fight against Coronavirus, Sonowal said."Coronavirus does not differentiate between religion, community, caste, creed or skin colour and therefore, people, irrespective of their religious affiliations, should stay united and steadfast in their resolve to overcome this challenge posed by the global pandemic," he said.The chief minister said that maintaining social distancing, avoidance of any kind of social gatherings and regular washing of hands were the keys to defeat the disease."The situation warrants that all religious activities are performed within the house without venturing out and religious leaders must take on the responsibility to educate the people about the importance of abstaining from any kind of religious or social gathering during these time of crisis," he said.Sonowal also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the bold decision of 21-day lockdown and said the country has performed considerably well till now in this fight against coronavirus."This is the first time that the whole country is going through such a prolonged lockdown experience after independence and therefore all sections of the society should join hands with the government in this fight against the disease," he said.
