Pondy Lt Governor Bedi urges people to adhere to safety norms in fight against COVID-19

Puducherry, Jul 9 () Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi on Thursday urged people in the union territory to adhere to basic safety norms in the fight against COVID-19.

In a WhatsApp message to mediapersons, the former IPS officer referred to a couple of incidents in the union territory to stress the need for observing basic norms as "prevention of the infection is very important as our own protection is the protection of others and vice-versa."

She said a palm reader had infected 13 persons directly in Karaikal and was passing the virus ignorantly while doing home treatment for himself.

Another person in Puducherry, a do-gooder was going house to house distributing 'prasadam' but was instead spreading the virus, she added.

Bedi said in her message that the "fight against COVID-19 demands utmost alertness of observance of all the 4 S (safety norms)."

She further said "some liquor parties or small parties in houses are causing the spread of the infection as revealed by doctors during contact tracing."

The Lt Governor also pointed out that industry managers should take responsibility for the workers as "they have been found to be lax in observing the 4S (including social distancing,wearing of masks and sanitation) were cautioned firmly that prosecution under Disaster Management Act will follow."

"Laxity by a cluster causes widespread damage as was seen in the case of a mask manufacturing factory here. Prevention of COVID is thus in our hands. Our own protection is the protection of others and vice versa," the Lt Governor said.

"Observance of social distance in all public contact is important," she added.

Bedi asked people not to entertain outsiders at home and said, "You cannot be sure some may be asymptomatic and doing some home care to suppress fever." Cor