Urge all to maintain lockdown, CM Sarbananda Sonowal appeals to religious leaders

GUWAHATI: Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal stressed on the need to maintain strict lockdown norms by people of all sections cutting across language, culture and religion to succeed in the fight against coronavirus outbreak during a meeting with the leaders of different religious organisations at Assam Administrative Staff College, Khanapara here on Thursday.

During the interaction, the Chief Minister said that since COVID-19 is a new virus and medical scientists and researchers the world over were yet to find a cure or a vaccine, the best way to contain the virus now was to stay indoors to break the chain of spread. 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 asserted. The Chief Minister also reiterated that maintaining social distancing, avoidance of any kind of social gatherings and regular washing of hands were the keys to defeat COVID-19.

Referring to the ongoing 21 day nation-wide lock down announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sonowal highlighted the importance of the measure to stop the spread and contain the outbreak of COVID-19. He appealed the religious leaders to urge their followers to remain indoors considering the immensely contagious nature of the virus.

The situation warranted that all religious activities were 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 times of crisis, he said. Sonowal also urged them to ensure that no inciting or provocative religious statements were made to disturb the social harmony of the State and called them to generate awareness among their followers about the coronavirus protocols.

Urging the people cutting across social, linguistic or religious divides to maintain social distance, Chief Minister Sonowal stressed on the need to adhere to the advisory of the health department and wage a unified war to save the humanity from the onslaught of COVID 19.

The Chief Minister urged the religious leaders to frequently send the message to the communities that lockdown is essential to combat COVID-19 effectively and he called on them to make their followers refrain from making provocative statements on social media which can destabilise the society. He also appreciated the people of the state for following the lockdown instructions of the government and issued a stern warning against those who are willingly defying the lockdown norms and jeopardizing their own and society’s interest.

He informed the religious headmen that the Health department along with power, food and civil supplies, transport, police departments have been providing dedicated service in these times. Calling on the people to prepare for a long fight against coronavirus, Sonowal urged the religious leaders to motivate and encourage the people with spirituality so that they can pass this difficult phase successfully, stated a release.

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