NEW DELHI, Apr 15 (NNN-XINHUA) – Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, extended the lock-down till May 3, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
India has been under the 21-day lock-down since Mar 25, which was planned to end midnight (last night), even as the number of deaths in the country rose to 339 and the total cases climbed to 10,363.
Addressing the nation on TV, Modi said, the extension of lock-down till May 3 was decided, after taking suggestions from various quarters of the Indian society.
In his address, the Prime Minister said, some relaxations would be given, with effect from Apr 20, in the areas which were safe from the COVID-19 and where people were strictly following Lock-down regulations.
“But those restrictions will be reviewed, if the virus spreads again in those areas,” he added.
“Tomorrow (today), detailed guidelines about relaxation of restrictions will be issued,” he said, adding that, while weighing the guidelines, enough care was taken to look after the needs of the poor and daily wage earners, and ensure that farmers faced minimum problems, as harvest season was round the corner.
Modi assured his countrymen that, there were enough stocks of medicines and food-grain to meet the challenges posed by COVID-19.
Giving details of India’s preparedness to fight COVID-19, Modi said, more than 600 dedicated hospitals were functional across the country.
Stressing upon social distancing to defeat COVID-19, Modi said, it was the best way to fight back, as it benefited India hugely, the past 21 days.
The Prime Minister ended his address by giving out seven appeals to the countrymen, including taking care of old people, particularly those who have been suffering from diseases; strictly follow lock-down and social distancing, and respect the virus-warriors, like policemen and hospital staff.– NNN-XINHUA