No plan to extend lockdown beyond April 14: As India entered into Day 6 of a 21-day lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba said the center does not plan to extend the lockdown. “I am surprised to see such reports. There is no such plan of extending the lockdown,” news agency ANI quoted Mr. Gauba as saying.
There have been reports about a possible extension of the lockdown beyond April 14 as the number of positive coronavirus cases show no sign abating. Some reports have suggested the lockdown to extend into June. However, Gauba has denied such speculation.
Positive coronavirus cases rose above 1,000 in India as of Sunday evening, government data showed, while the death toll touched 27. The Indian Council of Medical Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio broadcast on Sunday, sought the nation’s forgiveness for the hardships caused by the stringent nationwide lockdown, saying it was necessary because the country was fighting a battle between life and death research (ICMR) has conducted at least 34,931 tests for coronavirus confirmation till Sunday.
The Centre asked state governments and Union Territory administrations to effectively seal all state and district borders and said those having already left be quarantined for 14 days.
However, he also expressed confidence that “we will definitely win the battle” against the coronavirus menace and praised the front-line workers in this fight against as well as countless workers delivering the essential services.
Moreover, The Narendra Modi administration on Sunday set up 11 empowered groups for quickly drawing up and executing a comprehensive plan to tackle the adverse impact of the coronavirus crisis.
Globally, the number of cases is fast approaching three-quarters of a million, while the death toll has exceeded 33,000.
Most of the countries in the world are in various forms of lockdown with air travel brought to a near-complete halt.
