Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his signature radio talk show ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on Sunday spoke to two coronavirus survivors and asked them to make their stories viral to prevent the spread of panic among people due to the deadly virus.
The two survivors were from Agra and Hyderabad, both of whom got infected of the virus from outside India in its early stage.
One of the survivors who is an IT professional based out of Hyderabad told PM Modi that when he was tested positive, he couldn’t believe.
“I was frightened. I contracted the virus after an official visit to Dubai,” he admitted.
“In the early days, it was still sinking in, but I felt reassured by the doctors and nurses and staff of the hospital. I felt I would get better,” he recalled.
Prime Minister asked him about his family’s reaction on the news. “They were in great stress. Very scared. But fortunately, they all tested negative. That was a big relief,” he told.
He further told that even after the recovery, he continues to follow every safety measure including self-isolation and washing hands the right way.
PM Modi advised him to make his story viral so that it could become an inspiration for the others, who are affected of the disease.
“You are in IT. Make an audio and share on social media, make it viral. So people will not panic and will also understand how to deal with it,” PM Modi said.
The second survivor to whom PM talked was a 73-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh’s Agra. The man along with his whole family was tested positive of the novel coronavirus.
The 73 years old man – a highly vulnerable age to get affected due to the deadly virus, told PM over the phone that he along with his two sons and son-in-law had gone to a shoe fair in Italy.
When they came back to India, his son-in-law fell ill and went to hospital.
“He asked my sons to get tested. When they went to a hospital in Agra, doctors there said, get your entire family. Six of us – I am 73, my wife, two sons, daughter-in-law, grandson we all tested positive,” he told.
The entire family was taken to Safdarjung hospital in Delhi in two ambulances.
“I am perfect. I have also got knee surgery,” he told PM Modi.
During his radio address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also apologised to the people for the “discomfort” caused due to the lockdown.
“I hope my country people will forgive me for my sudden decisions. I apologise for all the discomfort that you are facing, but this is the only step that we could have taken to curb the spreading of coronavirus in the country. I apologize for taking these harsh steps which have caused difficulties in your lives, especially the poor people. I know some of you would be angry with me also. But these tough measures were needed to win this battle.” PM Modi said
PM also warned those defying the lockdown order by saying those defying the orders are “playing with their own lives.”
PM’s address came after 5 days of announcing the nationwide lockdown due to deadly COVID-19. As of now, the positive cases of coronavirus have cross the 1000 mark in the country.