New Delhi: This is the festival season; citizens must not forget that while the lockdown is over, the Covid- 19 is not, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. Prime Minister in his address said that “This is not the time to be careless. This is not the time to think that corona is gone and the danger is over,” he cautioned in an address to the nation ahead of a series of festivals over the next few months.

Prime Minister also said in the past few days, videos had emerged of people in public, throwing caution to the winds. “You are risking your family, your children and your elders by doing so”. While India was at a better state than many other countries, it should not drop its guard, Modi said. Until there is a vaccine, he said, no one can be complacent. “For the first time in years, there is an effort on war footing to save the humanity. Our scientists are also working hard on a vaccine”, he said. The government is preparing a plan to make any vaccine available to all, said the Prime Minister, adding, “Dawai nahin to dhilai nahin (no laxity without cure).”

This was his seventh address to the nation since he announced a strict lockdown in March-end to check the spread of the Covid- 19. Since June, the nation has been exiting the restrictions in phases in order to reopen the economy. “We have come a long way since the Janata curfew. Our recovery rate is among the highest in the world, the death rate is low. Out of every million, we have around 83 deaths. In other nations, it is around 600 deaths per million,” said the Prime Minister.

“I want to you to know that once we get a vaccine, everyone will get it in a planned, phased and fast manner. Till the time we get a vaccine, if we are even a little irresponsible, we can harm ourselves and all those around us. Wear masks, maintain do gaz ki doori (six-foot distance), wash hands regularly, use sanitizers and do not venture out unless absolutely necessary,” PM Modi urged. Experts have raised concerns that alongside the unlock rules, the festival season may lead to a surge in infections.