Chandigarh, Oct 15 (IANS): Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has written to all the sarpanches in the state, urging them to aggressively counter the false propaganda being spread about Covid-19 by certain malicious people.

Amarinder Singh, in his communication, asked the sarpanches to work among the people to ensure that they are not misled by the misinformation and blatant lies, and to strengthen the government's hands in fighting the pandemic, especially in the upcoming festival season.

Though the various measures taken by his government had led to improvement in the Covid-19 situation, the state cannot afford to be complacent.

"We cannot afford to let our guard down, especially considering the fact that the paddy harvesting is on, as also the government procurement," he said.

Reminding the sarpanches of their moral duty as heads of villages, the Chief Minister asked them to maintain strict vigil on the health situation and encourage anyone showing Covid-19 symptoms to undergo testing.

He further asked them to ensure that the patients inflicted with virus, as well as their contacts, are identified and kept in isolation, for which elaborate arrangements should be made.

Special focus must on ensuring that such people are not discriminated against in any manner whatsoever, he stressed.