Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda has suggested that election victory celebrations and all by-polls and local polls should be postponed in order to curb spread of COVID-19.
HD Deve Gowda made this suggestion in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
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“Steps should be taken immediately to curtail election victory celebrations in states that have gone to polls this month. Since no state legislature’s term is expiring after May this year, all by-elections, local polls should be postponed by 6 months,” HD Deve Gowda said in his letter to PM Modi.
“All large public gatherings should be banned for the next six months,” Deve Gowda added.
In another big suggestion in his letter to PM Modi, HD Deve Gowda stated that health administration and COVID-19 management has to be quickly decentralised.
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Deve Gowda said that he “believes that this is a time to act and act swiftly”.
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Medical professionals at all levels have to be urgently hired on short contracts to help district administrations, he said.
Former PM HD Deve Gowda pointed out that while the focus has been on the big cities, there is a greater danger lurking in non-urban districts.
Gowda said there is no clear messaging on the vaccination front, and there is a lot of confusion among people.
“Since many people who had taken the first and second dose of vaccination have also been infected there is lurking cynicism about the vaccines,” he said.
“Science has to be placed above every belief we may have and faith we follow,” Deve Gowda added.
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Deve Gowda added that pricing of vaccines has created a lot of confusion.
“Pricing should be done keeping in mind the poorest in the land. If the government decides to give vaccines free to all citizens that would be a great humanitarian gesture,” he said.