India witnessed a 'Junta Curfew' yesterday, which was basically a 14-hour lockdown for the citizens of the country. In his speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urged the public to stay indoors from 7 AM to 9 PM on Sunday and it was fascinating to see the always-crowded roads completely empty for the first time in years. We wish we didn't have to go through all of this to begin with, but there is no turning back anymore and we have to do our best to make sure everyone stays safe and alive.
International media was all over this 'Junta Curfew' and reported about it throughout the world. AlJazeera's article on the same was headlined, 'Cities deserted as India launches curfew to stem coronavirus' and the writer wrote, 'Cities across India were deserted on Sunday morning as the country of some 1.3 billion people imposed a nationwide curfew aimed at curbing the spread of the new coronavirus'.
Other news publications like Dawn mentioned how all the public transport services were also dismissed for the day with the headline, 'Business, transport suspended in India during 14-hour lockdown for coronavirus'. The article also mentioned how PM Modi's request to people played a vital role during the curfew hours which was voluntary and not mandatory but people still obeyed by the rules. It said, 'While the curfew was voluntary and not an outright ban on the movement of people, Modi¡¯s national appeal?for social distancing dramatically reduced the number of people taking to India¡¯s densely crowded streets'.
BBC also reported about the curfew and wrote about how the cities in India seemed completely empty for 14 hours, 'Images from various cities in India show roads and towns mainly empty. In Delhi, all shops were closed apart from those selling essentials, and pharmacies. Religious places cancelled activities as part of the curfew'.
Another news portal called RT,?wrote about the fact that even though the number of COVID-19 positive cases are lesser in number in India, precautions are being taken to contain the spread of the infection. The article read, 'India has a relatively low number of 315 infections and only four deaths so far. However, taking note of the crises in other states, the country is preparing for the worst and testing its healthcare crisis response systems'.
While media houses around the world are on their toes about the current circumstances, it is your duty as citizens of any country to make sure you and everyone around you stays safe.?