CM tells religious leaders to tell their communities that lockdown essential to combat COVID-19

Guwahati, Apr 9 () Assam Chief Minister SarbanandaSonowal on Thursday urged religious leaders to send message totheir respective communities that lockdown was essential tocombat COVID-19 effectively.

He interacted with religious leaders of differentfaiths here and asked them to ensure that their followersrefrain from making provocative statements on social mediawhich can destabilise the society.

Religious leaders have great reach in the society and"I appeal to them to educate their followers about coronavirusand generate awareness about the disease," Sonowal said.

He appreciated that the people of the state arefollowing the lockdown instructions but also warned thatstrict action would be taken against those who defied it,jeopardizing their own and societys interest.

People of all sections cutting across language,culture and religion must maintain strict lockdown norms tosucceed in the fight against Coronavirus, Sonowal said.

"Coronavirus does not differentiate between religion,community, caste, creed or skin colour and therefore, people,irrespective of their religious affiliations, should stayunited and steadfast in their resolve to overcome thischallenge posed by the global pandemic," he said.

The chief minister said that maintaining socialdistancing, avoidance of any kind of social gatherings andregular washing of hands were the keys to defeat the disease.

"The situation warrants that all religious activitiesare performed within the house without venturing out andreligious leaders must take on the responsibility to educatethe people about the importance of abstaining from any kind ofreligious or social gathering during these time of crisis,"he said.

Sonowal also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi fortaking the bold decision of 21-day lockdown and said thecountry has performed considerably well till now in this fightagainst coronavirus.

"This is the first time that the whole country isgoing through such a prolonged lockdown experience afterindependence and therefore all sections of the society shouldjoin hands with the government in this fight against thedisease," he said. DGRG RG