Sacrifice, restraint and discipline are three main weapons against COVID: Odisha CM

Bhubaneswar, Jul 6 () Voicing concern over rapid spread of the novel coronavirus in the country, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday exhorted the people to adopt "sacrifice, restraint and discipline" as three main weapons to win the war against COVID-19.

The chief minister said strict adherence to COVID guidelines has become all the more important as the unlock process has commenced in the country and most of the restrictions imposed earlier to contain the spread of the deadly virus have been lifted.

Noting that India now occupies the third place in the world so far as the number of infections is concerned, Patnaik in a video message said that the number of confirmed cases is increasing by about one lakh in every four days.

"The number of COVID cases is also increasing in Odisha. I had also cautioned you all before the onset of monsoon and emphasized the need to take adequate precautions against possible infection," he said.

He further said life will not be the same ever unless and until a vaccine or medicine is available and people will have to make sacrifices to remain safe.

"In order to win the war against COVID, we all have to adopt the path of sacrifice, restraint and discipline. These three weapons will bring us victory in the battle against coronavirus," the chief minister said.

Referring to the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath successfully held recently in the absence of devotees in Puri, Patnaik said Odisha has created history by conducting the annual car festival without any congregation and by strictly abiding by the COVID guidelines at a time when the whole world was watching the state.

Odisha has so far reported 9,526 coronavirus cases and 38 fatalities due to the deadly infection. SKN SNS SMN SMN