Involve youth in fight against Covid: Capt to officials
CM directs the department of sports and youth affairs and deputy commissioners to form groups of seven rural corona volunteers (RCVs) per village or municipal ward as a cadre to assist in fighting the pandemic
Chandigarh
As part of the mission “Fateh 2.0”, chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday launched the Covid-free Punjab campaign.
The CM directed officials to form groups of youngsters in villages to support the fight against the pandemic. He said villages are severely affected by the second wave of Covid and a strong campaign for “corona-mukt pind” is needed.
He directed the department of sports and youth affairs and deputy commissioners to form groups of seven rural corona volunteers (RCVs) per village or municipal ward as a cadre to assist in fighting the pandemic.
The CM tasked the RCVs with carrying test, tracing, treating and taking care of poor and elderly, besides connecting them to the Covid control rooms and helplines. He also asked them to conduct “theekri phras” in all villages, promote Covid appropriate behaviour, assist villagers in accessing adequate healthcare and discourage quacks.
The CM announced that the department of youth affairs has started distributing 1 lakh badges and 4 lakh car stickers carrying the message “I am vaccinated”, and urged the RCVs to encourage people who have received the jab to flaunt their vaccination status.
On the occasion, brand ambassador of the state’s Covid vaccine campaign Sonu Sood underscored the need to create awareness amongst people, especially in rural areas about the importance of vaccination.
Health minister Balbir Sidhu expressed concern over the spread of black fungus, for which the state had received only 1,000 doses of anti-viral drug as against the required 15,000.