Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh tests negative, ends self-isolation

Strap: Says oxymeter no substitute to test, rumours-mongers to be dealt with sternly

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 5

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today asked the Congress ministers and MLAs to communicate with masses on the ground to combat negative campaign related to Covid-19 tests and organ harvesting, which was actively being propagated by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The Chief Minister said the AAP was spreading senseless fear in the minds of villagers, thus deterring them from getting themselves tested for Covid and endangering their lives.

He said they would seek advice from the Central Government about web channels, which had mushroomed recently and were actively involved in spreading misinformation about the pandemic. Action will be take action against them, he said.

The Chief Minister presided over a high-level virtual meet attended by the Cabinet Ministers and MLAs representing some of the constituencies where panchayats had purportedly passed resolutions against the government’s Covid management programme.

Capt Amarinder said the AAP had been promoting “no testing” and an activist of their party had been arrested for spreading false information.

Lok Insaaf Party leader Simrajit Singh Bains had also created an atmosphere of fear among the people by himself refusing to be tested, said the CM.

Terming the AAP’s announcement of distributing oxymeters a political stunt, Capt Amarinder said oxymeters had no connection with tests, and delay in the latter was the main reason for the state’s growing fatality rate.

Stressing that oxymeters were no substitute for Covid tests, the Chief Minister said blood oxygen levels can fall very fast, so the only key to saving a life is early testing and diagnosis.

He pointed out that 85 per cent of all the infected patients recover, as long as they get themselves tested in time. Of the remaining 15 per cent who have complications, only 5 per cent need ICU or oxygen support, he said, adding that oxymeters were being unnecessarily and wrongly hyped by the AAP.

The AAP and Bains are not bothered about lives of the people and are only concerned about taking political mileage from the crisis, said the Chief Minister.

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