Kishan Reddy Addresses Pandemic Concerns

As the BJP-led Centre continues to draw flak for its handling of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy today spoke about the various steps it was taking to handle the pandemic.

Speaking to the media after inspecting the AIIMS at Bibinagar, Reddy said that every state government in the country had the freedom to impose a lockdown if it felt the need to do so and could create containment zones in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

He added that the government of each state also had the freedom to respond to the circumstances prevailing in their state and to take decisions accordingly.

Saying that the states also had the responsibility to disburse the medical oxygen received from the Centre, the minister claimed that an adequate amount of oxygen was being imported from several countries with the help of war aircrafts and that this oxygen was being distributed to the states based on their populations.

While he accepted the fact that there was a severe shortage of medical oxygen and beds in the country, Reddy added that the problem would be overcome with the support of foreign countries. He also pointed out that the containment of the Covid-19 virus was as much in the hands of the people as it was in the various governments'.

"While the state and union governments can only secure access to treatment facilities, the public must also play its part in stopping the spread of Covid-19 by behaving in a responsible manner. Wearing masks, sanitising one's hands regularly and maintaining social distancing norms is of critical import right now. People showing any symptoms must isolate themselves. This will go a long way in breaking the chain of the pandemic's spread," he asserted.

Responding to the "high prices" of Covid-19 treatment in Telangana, the leader advised the state government to subsidise the treatment by including it in its Aarogyasri scheme.

The minister also responded to the reports of the black marketing of Covid-19 vaccines, and urged the state governments of the nation to acts strictly to prevent such incidents.