As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in China and several other countries, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday (21 December) wrote a letter to former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot urging them to follow strict COVID-19 protocol during the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra of Congress or suspend the Yatra in national interest.
In his letter, Mandaviya said that the Congress leaders must ensure that only vaccinated people should be allowed to participate in the Yatra.
“Along with this letter, please take into context the letter written by Rajasthan Assembly members – P P Chaudhary and Nihal Chand and Deviji Patel on December 20, 2022, in which they had expressed worries about the spreading of Covid during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan. They highlighted two major points to prevent the disease from spreading in the state and all over India — 1) strict covid guidelines should be followed during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan. Use of masks and sanitisers should be encouraged. Only vaccinated people should be allowed to take part in the Yatra. Before joining the Yatra, people should be isolated. 2) If the above-mentioned protocols cannot be followed, then keeping public health emergencies into account, the Bharat Jodo Yatra is requested to be suspended,” the Minister wrote in his letter.
Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury responded to Mandaviya’s letter and said, “I want to ask the BJP, did Prime Minister Narendra Modi follow Covid protocols during Gujarat polls? I think Mansukh Mandaviya is not liking Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, but people are liking it and joining it.”
On Tuesday (December 20), the Centre had outlined several steps to prevent the surge of COVID-19 in the country. Mandaviya is scheduled to meet senior government officials and experts today to hold discussions over the COVID situation.
On Tuesday, the government also issued directions to all states and Union Territories to send all COVID-19 cases to INSACOG genome sequencing labs. It may be recalled that INSACOG was constituted by the Union Health Ministry to track different COVID-19 strains in the country.
