Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday rejected demands to start vaccinating people aged below 45 and ruled out a nationwide lockdown, urging chief ministers to focus on testing and earmarking small containment zones to arrest the Covid resurgence afflicting many states.

Modi’s comments came at a virtual meeting with the chief ministers, many of whom demanded relaxing the age criterion for Covid vaccination, which is now 45 years or above.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the emerging situation posed a “serious concern” but advised the chief ministers to concentrate on “test, track, treat” instead of turning the entire focus on vaccination.

“Test, track, treat, Covid-appropriate behaviour and Covid management: we have to focus on these,” the Prime Minister said.

Ruling out a countrywide lockdown like last year, Modi advised the chief ministers to set up “micro-containment zones”.

Modi appeared to suggest the country lacked enough vaccines to relax the age criterion.

“Developed countries of the world, who have all the resources, even they have fixed criteria for vaccination. India isn’t different from them,” he said.

“You know how much vaccine is manufactured. It’s not that big factories can be set up overnight. Whatever is available, we have to prioritise.”

Modi added that one state couldn’t be given priority, a likely snub to worst-hit Maharashtra’s demand for more vaccines.

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan had on Wednesday lashed out at Opposition-ruled Maharashtra after its health minister complained of a vaccine shortage, alleging that the state’s “lackadaisical attitude” was “bogging down” the country’s Covid fight.

Modi insisted that aggressive testing was the only way to battle the current surge.

‘Corona curfews’

Modi favoured night curfews, a measure whose effectiveness in combating Covid has been widely questioned.

The Prime Minister asserted the whole world had accepted the idea of night curfews and suggested they be called “corona curfews” to spread awareness.

“A curfew makes people remember they are living in the age of (the) corona(virus). It’s good that we promote the night curfew as ‘corona curfew’,” he said.

Punjab’s Amarinder Singh, who had been one of the chief ministers at the meeting to stress the need for immunising people younger than 45 who go out to work, later took the demand to the public arena.

“Request flexibility to states to devise local vaccination strategy within broad parameters of Centre’s approach,” Amarinder tweeted, saying he had written to the Prime Minister about this.
“Also need to immunise youngsters in high risk areas & patients of liver and kidney disease below 45.”

Modi, however, prodded the chief ministers to instead ensure that everyone above 45 was vaccinated.

‘Tika utsav’

The Prime Minister suggested a “tika utsav” (vaccine festival) between April 11 and 14, but only for the “eligible section” of the over-45. He said this would boost the vaccination drive and reduce wastage.

Modi underscored that April 11 was the birth anniversary of social reformer Jyotiba Phule and April 14 that of Babasaheb Ambedkar.

For the below-45, the Prime Minister suggested they focus on following the Covid-19 protocols such as wearing masks and observing social distancing.

He also urged the youth to encourage those above 45 to get vaccinated and to spread awareness about the need to follow the pandemic protocols.

“If our youth follow the Covid protocols and inspire others to (do so), you will see that we can again come down from the peak,” Modi said.