"Considering the number of states affected by coronavirus in India, I believe that the national lockdown should not be lifted on April 14, but extended further so that we end the spread of the Coronavirus," Rawat told .
With regards to the COVID-19 situation in the Uttarakhand, he informed that the state is in stage one. "The situation is currently in stage one--it is not even in stage two. Wherever COVID-19 cases have been found or chances of where COVID-19 cases can emerge have been locked down," he added.
On the issue of Tablighi Jamaat returnees having to surrender themselves, he said that the state has been very stringent pertaining to the matter. "We had a very small list initially, but when we tightened our grip on the matter, where we said if any Tablighi who does not come forward and surrender them, then they would have a case registered for attempted murder would be registered."
While many have come forward, he further appealed that returnees must report to authorities and get tested. "I appeal to you all to come forward and get tested. It is not a defect but it is a disease that needs to be treated," he said.
With regards to the testing facilities in the state, he said that at the present moment, there are two testing facilities functional and close to 120 tests are being conducted on a daily basis.
"We have around 10,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits, 30,000 masks, and 257 ventilators. We do not need a lot of N-95 masks at the current moment. But thankfully, we did not need to use the ventilator," he stated.
At least 35 cases have been reported in the state so far and 5 people have also recovered from the disease. No deaths have been reported so far.
( With inputs from ANI )