Form citizens' vigilance committee: Uddhav Thackeray

In yet another trend-setting initiative, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray called for setting up of "citizen's corona vigilance committee" to combat and check the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.

"The fight against Covid-19 is not alone of the government... there has to be citizen's Corona vigilance committees in hamlets, villages, colonies," Thackeray said while reviewing the pandemic situation of Thane district.

According to Thackeray, it is essential to know whether anyone in the neighborhood is running a fever.

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The municipal commissioners must involve the citizens of their respective cities and towns along with local NGOs. It will then be easier to control this scourge, Thackeray said.

Making the first-of-its-kind suggestion in the country to set up citizens committees, the chief minister, during a review meeting of the situation in Thane district, pointed out how such mass participation had helped during the country’s Independence movement, and recently the public boycott of Chinese goods had sent a big message across.

Thackeray said that locals, youth and NGOs should join hands in this kind of an initiative.

"Check the health of high-risk persons like senior citizens, their chronic ailments, their oxygen levels, hygiene, whether they wear masks and take other precautions,” said Thackeray.