The vice president also called for expressing his gratitude to farmers, the “unsung Corona warriors”. (File)
New Delhi:
On Sunday, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu expressed his anguish at the cases of stigmatization of COVID-19 patients and the refusal of the last rites worthy of people who died because of the virus.
He said such incidents were completely unwarranted and urged local communities and society at large to prevent such events from happening again.
In a Facebook post, Naidu said that “the need of the hour is to fight prejudice and nip it in the bud. Otherwise, it can become more toxic than fake news and disinformation.”
Urging everyone to treat COVID-19 patients with understanding and empathy, he said “it should be remembered that no one is completely safe and that the invisible virus can infect anyone.”
Stressing that since time immemorial India has been known as a land of tolerance and that people show their emphatic character by helping those in distress, the vice-president called some people’s media reports “disturbing”. , including relatives, over stigmatizing and ostracizing those infected with the coronavirus, mainly because of the fear of contracting the infection.
Referring to instances where people have objected to providing space for the final rites to those who have died from the virus, he said this was totally unacceptable and went against centuries-old Indian traditions of solidarity with the people. bereaved family members.
Noting that a multitude of factors such as illiteracy, superstitions, fake news and rumors fuel false beliefs among the population, Mr. Naidu urged health authorities and the media to undertake special campaigns to raise awareness and educate the population on all the facts relating to the coronavirus and its transmission.
“The correct message needs to be reiterated, reinforced and widely disseminated to ensure that it creates a positive impact and brings about the desired behavior transformation,” he said.
Expressing optimism that the dire situation caused by the pandemic can be overcome by striving collectively, he said the first and foremost task is to flatten the curve. “Every citizen must act responsibly by adhering to standards such as frequent hand washing, wearing masks and maintaining social distance,” he said.
He also called for an expression of gratitude to farmers, the “unsung Corona warriors”, who have rendered selfless service to ensure food security.
