PM Narendra Modi Announces Extension Of Lockdown Till May 3, Some Relaxations After April 20

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the ongoing nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country will continue till May 3.

Addressing the nation on Tuesday, the day when the previous 21-day lockdown was set to end, the Prime Minister lauded the resolve of Indians in fighting the epidemic.

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In his speech, the PM compared the strength of 'We the People' as mentioned in the Constitution.

Reassuring the country that India's fight against COVID-19 is going strong, the PM said, "Before the detection of even a single case in India, we had started screening international passengers coming from COVID-19 affected countries. When we had only 550 cases of coronavirus here, India had taken the major step of a lockdown of 21 days. India did not wait for the problem to grow. Rather, as soon as the problem was seen, we took a timely fast decision."

the Prime Minister acknowledged that the lockdown has not been easy.

"It has cost us economically But it is not bigger than the lives of our people. How do we take this forward? How do we win? We have been in constant touch with the state governments. All of them say extend the lockdown. Keeping everything into account, the lockdown will have to be extended till May 3. During this time, we will have to be disciplined like we have been all this while." he said.

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The PM also warned that in the next the number of COVID-19 cases in the country will increase in a higher rare, and said that potential area that can turn into hotspot needs to be looked at carefully.

"Next one week, the fight will be tightened and lockdown will be enforced even more strongly. We have to ensure that we do not allow the coronavirus to grow. Hotspots have to be isolated and lockdown enforced more stringently," he said.

However, he said that areas that don't allow hotspots to grow and where the chances of hotspots growing are less, some relaxations may be allowed from April 20.

"If any area turns back after this relaxation, curbs will be reintroduced. Hence, please be very careful," he said.

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The PM also praised state governments for their efforts

"The State Governments of the country have also acted with great responsibility in this, managing the situation round the clock. But friends, the way the Corona pandemic is spreading amidst all these efforts, has made health experts & governments around the world even more alert. I have been in continuous touch with the States on how the fight against Corona should progress in India. Everyone has suggested that the lockdown should be continued," he said.

The PM also called upon the scientific community in the country to work on a vaccine for COVID-19 which will benefit the world. "While India has limited resources today, I have a special request for India¡¯s young scientists ¨C to come forward and take a lead in creating a vaccine for Coronavirus; for the welfare of the world, for the welfare of the human race," he said.