Coronavirus lockdown extended by two weeks, PM Modi meets state CMs

NEW DELHI: India will continue the lockdown for two more weeks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after a video-conference with state chief ministers on April 11.

The 21-day lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak was scheduled to end on April 14. It will now end on April 30.

Asia News International , or ANI, tweeted Narendra Modi as saying: “'Jaan hai to jahan hai'. When I had addressed the nation I had said that to save life of every citizen, lockdown and social distancing are very important. Most of the people understood this and stayed at home: PM Modi during video conference with Chief Ministers today. #COVID19”.

ANI also tweeted Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurppa as saying: “PM told us that we must not compromise on lockdown and we are receiving suggestions for extending it for next 15 days. PM said in next 1-2 days Govt of India will announce guidelines for next 15 days.” PM Modi will address the nation again later on Saturday.

The Delhi chief minister Aravind Kejriwal tweeted after the four-hour meeting that “PM has taken correct decision to extend lockdown. Today, India’s position is better than many developed countries because we started lockdown early. If it is stopped now, all gains would be lost. To consolidate, it is imp to extend it.”

PM has taken correct decision to extend lockdown. Today, India’s position is better than many developed countries because we started lockdown early. If it is stopped now, all gains would be lost. To consolidate, it is imp to extend it

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 11, 2020

The lockdown was imposed from March 25 till April 14 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

States’ stand

Earlier, two states, Punjab and Odisha had extended the lockdown. Punjab extended it till May one while Odisha did it till April 30. On Saturday, West Bengal announced it was extending summer vacations for students till June 10.

Other states including Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala had made it clear that they were not in favour of lifting the lockdown on April 14.

Other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Puducherry wanted a staggered lifting of the lockdown.

The Union Home ministry had on April 10 advised all district authorities to comply with the strict orders in place to check the spread of coronavirus.

Condemning and expressing distress at the instances of attacks on doctors and medical staff, and at incidents of misbehaviour with students from North-East and Kashmir, PM Modi underlined that such cases need to be dealt with firmly, said a statement issued by the government.

Update: This copy has been updated to include inputs from the Press Information Bureau statement.

Correction: An earlier version had said PM Modi would address the nation. That was incorrect and has been removed from the headline. The error is regretted.

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• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak: Latest Updates
• 20 things for students to do during COVID-19 lockdown

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