Consider your mask a vaccine, says Kejriwal as third wave of Covid hits Delhi

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said wearing a mask is the biggest protection against Coronavirus till the time a vaccine is developed.

The Chief Minister was laying the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Rohtak Road on Friday.

Kejriwal said Delhi is facing a third wave of the virus,and he was extremely hopeful that Delhiites will continue to support the fight against the pandemic. "Earlier, Delhi has successfully defeated dengue. In 2015, dengue cases had reached a new high. Over the past two years, we have not recorded a single death due to dengue," said Kejriwal, while speaking on the occasion.

The CM further said, "To fight Covid, the only protocol to follow is wearing your mask. Till the time we don't have a vaccine, consider your mask as the vaccine. There is no other way to fight this virus. Covid doesn't distinguish between demographics. It can happen to anyone. I strongly appeal to all present here, to turn wearing a mask into a movement."

He alleged that when pandemic was in the initial stage, flights carrying approximately 32,000 Indians from various countries landed in the national capital. "But there was no system of aggressive testing then. Delhi did not start at 0 in terms of the number of Covid cases. Delhi started at thousands owing to the lack of aggressive testing of people who flew in from international flights. Delhi is the national capital of India and attracts people from all over the world. What we are facing currently is the third wave," said the CM.

Kejriwal said that pollution is also on the rise in Delhi. "We have had a strong hold on pollution control in Delhi. It's only in the months ahead of winter that we face this issue but that is also due to stubble burning in the neighbouring states. To combat pollution within the city, Delhiites have surpassed every state. The Delhi government sprayed the decomposer invented by Pusa Institute on all the farmlands in Delhi."

This decomposer is an effective alternative to stubble burning as it turns stubble into manure. This stubble has now turned into an opportunity for the farmers, it is no longer a liability. He said Haryana and Punjab government must also help their farmers just like Delhi did.

"I sincerely believe that this is the last year when we have to tolerate pollution due to stubble burning. Now, no other state should make excuses for not helping their farmers. If they need help, we are ready to provide them with chemicals," he said.