Banna Gupta urges people to remain alert, wear masks and take all precautions

State health minister Banna Gupta appealed to the people on Wednesday to remain alert but not panic amid reports of a rise in Covid-19 cases in many parts of the country and also outside India.
The minister said that there were fears that the second wave of the pandemic may be deadlier than the first wave if Covid-19 protocols were not followed properly.
Banna, who has recovered from Covid-19 himself, urged everyone to wear masks when they step out of their homes. He said wearing masks should become a habit to avoid any kind of risk.
He said people should avoid crowded places and maintain social-distancing norms. The minister added that senior citizens above 60 years and kids aged below 10 should not visit public places.
The minister said people should cooperate with the administration as officials have again started checking and detaining people who are not found wearing masks. He said such steps were being taken for the safety of the masses and not to harass them.
Meanwhile, the administration is keeping a close vigil on the passengers alighting from trains and buses in Jamshedpur. Special checking drives have been started at the Tatanagar railway station. On Tuesday, 178 passengers were checked and among them three were found to be Covid positive.
Till Tuesday evening, East Singhbhum had 16,985 Covid cases, of which 317 are active.