PM appeal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (April 14) extended the lockdown to May 3, 2020, to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus. During his speech, he also asked companies not to lay off their employees amid the extended lockdown.
The government is considering relaxing lockdown restrictions after April 20 in areas where spread of the virus would be contained. Also, an assessment will be done for the next week of all the towns, districts and states based on which the relaxations can be given: PM said
Emphasizing the importance of the next week in the fight against coronavirus, he appealed to all the countrymen to stop the spread of the COVID-19 disease to newer areas. While the lockdown will continue till May 3, PM Modi requested citizens to follow seven things mentioned below:
1. Take care of elders in the house
2. Maintain social distancing, use homemade masks
3. Use guidelines from Ayush to increase immunity
4. Use Aarogya Setu mobile App
5. Help the poor families
6. Help your colleagues, do not fire employees
7. Respect and celebrate our heroes – doctors, nurses, healthcare workers
According to reports, the Centre is gathering inputs from various ministries and states on graded relaxation so that supply of essential items continues. Inter-linkages among various segments of the industry is one of the reasons behind partially opening up economic activity.
The PM said the government will come out with detailed criteria of the graded removal of lockdown in specific areas.
Worth mentioning here is that most state chief ministers have favored the extension of the lockdown. A number of states such as Odisha, Maharashtra, Telengana, Punjab and Tamil Nadu have announced the extension of the ongoing lockdown till April 30.
Meanwhile, the total coronavirus infection cases in the country have crossed the 10,000 marks making it more important that the gains achieved so far in terms of containing the spread are not erased.
