NEW DELHI – Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday announced to extend the current lockdown till May 3 to stem the spread of control the spread of coronavirus as number of cornavirus cases crossed the 10,000 mark.
Addressing the nation, he said that the restrictions would be reviewed on April 20, given the difficulties faced by poor segment of the society.
“After taking into account all suggestions, we have decided to extend the lockdown till May 3,” NDTV qouted PM Modi as saying.
“Till April 20, each district, each state will be monitored closely to see whether the lockdown is being followed. Then we can decide on relaxing the restrictions,” said the prime minister.
He hinted at allowing essential activities after April 20 in areas that showed improvement in fighting the pandemic.
“We absolutely must ensure that this virus does not spread to any further parts of the country. We should be worried every time we hear that someone in some part of the country has died of the virus. We must ensure that new hotspots do not spring up.”
Over 330 coronavirus deaths have been reported in India, according to the latest data from the Union Health Ministry.
“If the country had not taken a holistic, integrated approach and had not acted fast, then it is frightening to think what it would have been like today,” he said.
Asserting the need for a strict lockdown to ensure that COVID-19 did not spread to a single new area, the PM said: “The power of ‘We The People Of India’ has been seen in the country during the lockdown,” he said.
He also announced a seven-point charter for public to follow, which included “social distancing, taking care of the elderly and the poor, protecting jobs and preventing attacks on doctors and other frontline COVID-19 workers,” said the media outlet.
