As lakhs of migrant workers are are leaving for their homes and walking on foot amid the 21-day countrywide lockdown, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday appealed to them to not to leave for their native places during the 21-day nationwide lockdown in the interest of the country.
CM Kejriwal took to Twitter and asked the migrant workers to stay wherever they were as the risk of the coronavirus spreading increases due to large gatherings.
In his tweets in Hindi, Kejriwal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also appealed to people to stay wherever they are.
“I assure you that the Delhi government has made sufficient arrangements for your food and accommodation.
“For now, do not go to your villages in the country’s interest,” the chief minister wrote on Twitter.
So far, 49 coronavirus cases have been reported in the national capital.
“I appeal to all of you (migrant workers) not to go to your villages. Stay wherever you are, because in large gatherings, you are also at risk of being infected with the coronavirus.
“The coronavirus will reach your villages and families through you and it will then spread across the country,” Kejriwal said.
It will be difficult to save the country from this epidemic if that happens, he added.
दिल्ली से अपने गाँव जा रहे लोगों से मेरी अपील। pic.twitter.com/VTOGZVZFkh
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 29, 2020
Earlier, CM Kejriwal on Saturday, told about the operationalization of 568 Hunger Relief Centres in schools, apart from 238-night shelters.
Delhi CM stressed that his government has the capacity to feed lunch and dinner to approximately 4 lakh persons daily.
“No one will have to go hungry during the lockdown,” he asserted.
On Friday, the chief minister had urged the migrant workers to stay in the national capital by saying that his government has arranged 100 buses for such workers, in order to ferry them.
According to the Union Health Ministry, the number of COVID-19 cases in India are 979 with 25 deaths.