Puducherry, Aug 23 (PTI) Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi has attributed the spurt in coronavirus cases in India to violation of safety protocols such as social distancing by the public.

Expressing strong concern over the flouting of norms by the people, Bedi in a video message on Saturday said, "with the people violating relevant safety protocols such as social distancing there has beena huge spike in pandemic cases in India."

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In a veiled reference to the breach of rules by people here, she said when the lockdown was lifted, there were serpentine queues outside liquor shops and people were seen jostling with each other to purchase alcohol.

Similarly, during the Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations people were seen moving about in the open and there were processions carried out despite the appeal made to celebrate the festival at home.

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Bedi expressed regret that some people expect the government to provide treatment free of cost after violating the safety norms and causing the spread of the virus.

She sought to know why everything should come from the government and why not the people pay for the services.

Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Sunday pointed out that his government would not hesitate to bring in stringent lock down sooner than later if people's response to safety norms continued to be poor.

Launching a new facility for remote monitoring of home quarantined patients here, he said Puducherry was now having 2,097 patients with mild symptoms or asymptomatic as home quarantined patients.

Reacting to complaints that home quarantined patients were freely moving about without any discipline, he said, "... One coronavirus stricken patient can infect at least 100 people."

The CM said presently the Union Territory was witnessing unabated rise in the number of pandemic cases mostly because of the "careless" and "indiscipline nature" of the patients moving about and spreading the virus.

He appealed to the patients in home quarantine with folded hands not to venture out and ensure that they remained in quarantine for 14 days.

Narayanasamy further said, "if the public continued to be careless and negligent, the territorial government would not hesitate to intensify the measures and introduce stringent lockdown sooner than later."

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)