The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, along with the Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, today held a video-conference with Governors, Lieutenant Governors and Administrators of States and Union Territories to bolster the efforts at the Central and State level to contain and manage the crisis arising from the outbreak of COVID-19.On the occasion, Governor Shri Bandaru Dattatraya said that the Red Cross Society had been working round the clock to help out people in the state. Special efforts were being made to distribute packed food, dry ration and the medicines as per the requirement, to poor and needy people. He said that blood donation camps were being organized by State Red Cross Society and their district branches. He apprised that at present, 624 volunteers of Red Cross were working in the state to help people in need. He said that ration was being provided to 13,249 migrant labourers and 10,000 families living in slums. Besides, sheltered accommodation has also been provided to 811 people. He said that 1,63,880 masks, 870 sanitizers and 40 personal protective equipment had been provided by Red Cross Society.
Shri Dattatraya said that numerous effective steps were being taken by the State Government to make the lockdown system successful. He added that after receiving the alert from the Government of India, all the Chief Medical Officers were issued directives to adopt preventive measures to check spread of novel Coronavirus on January 23rd and 25th 2020 respectively. Full Curfew has been imposed in the State from 24th March 2020 and all offices and educational institutions have been closed till April 14, 2020.The State Government was doing better in this direction and all emergency services were being implemented effectively. The Chief Minister himself was monitoring the situation, said the Governor.After the video conference, the Governor in his message has urged the people of the state to turn off all the lights of your home on the 5th of April at 9 PM and light candles or diyas, torches or mobile flashlights for 9 minutes in your balcony or at your door by maintaining social distancing on the call of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and resolve to defeat this darkness together. He said that just as the people of the state joined to make 'Janata curfew' successful and showed solidarity against the Corona pandemic, similarly, on April 5th they should stand united showing the strength and challenge the crisis of darkness of Corona.