Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid emphasis on staying vigilant saying they must succeed together as the countries are still in an unknown situation, reports UNB.
"So far, our region has listed fewer than 150 cases. But we need to remain vigilant," he said while sharing his thoughts on coronavirus situation in Saarc countries and beyond.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined the videoconference from Dhaka with other Saarc member countries to chalk out a strong common strategy to fight COVID-19 in the region.
The videoconference began at 5pm (New Delhi time) and concluded at 5:30pm (Bangladesh time).
Indian High Commission in Dhaka arranged the live videoconference of Saarc leaders.
Modi briefly shared India’s experience of combating the spread of this virus so far as they prepare to face this challenge. “Prepare, but don’t panic” has been our guiding mantra," he said.
He said they started screening entry into India from mid-January itself, while also gradually increasing restrictions on travel.
The step-by-step approach has helped avoid panic, Modi said adding, "We’ve made special efforts to reach out to vulnerable groups."
The Indian Prime Minister said they have worked to quickly ramp up capacity in their system, including through training their medical staff across the country
"We also responded to the call of our people abroad. We evacuated nearly 1,400 Indians from different countries. We also similarly helped some of the citizens of our neighborhood countries," Modi said.
COVID-19 has recently been classified by WHO as a pandemic.
Modi thanked all for joining this special interaction at a short notice. "I specially thank our friend Prime Minister Oli who has joined us almost immediately after his recent surgery," he said.
On Friday, Narendra Modi proposed a strong strategy by member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) to fight the coronavirus threat in South Asian region.
Sheikh Hasina welcomed Modi’s proposal and look forward to a constructive dialogue with her Indian counterpart and other heads of state and government who have already agreed to discuss ways forward at this testing time for the region and the world.
“I would like to propose that the leadership of Saarc nations chalk out a strong strategy to fight coronavirus. We could discuss, via videoconferencing, ways to keep our citizens healthy," Modi said.
“Together, we can set an example to the world, and contribute to a healthier planet,” he twitted at 1:47pm on Friday on his official Twitter page.
In another tweet, at the same time, Modi said, “Our planet is battling the COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus. At various levels, governments and people are trying their best to combat it.”
“South Asia, which is home to a significant number of the global population, should leave no stone unturned to ensure our people are healthy,” he said.
The Indian Prime Minister called for the joint strategy a day after the first case of death from Covid-19 in India was reported on Thursday.