While addressing the nation on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the current lockdown will be extended till May 3, in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
During his address, Modi said implementation of the lockdown will be strictly ensured in coming days to ensure that the virus does not spread to new areas. The Prime Minister said detailed guidelines on implementation of the new lockdown rules will be released on Wednesday. Some relaxations may be allowed after April 20 in non-hotspot places, he added.
PM Modi also mentioned seven key areas where he would like people to help while fighting coronavirus. Here are the seven steps which needs to be followed:
1) Take proper care of the senior citizens in your family, especially those with underlying health problems.
2) Lockdown and social distancing should be properly followed. Home-made face covers and masks should be used.
3) Increase your immunity by following directions given by Ayush Ministry.
4) To help curb coronavirus spread, download Aarogya Setu app.
5) Wherever and whenever possible, help poor families.
6) Business houses are requested to help their employess; don't fire people.
7) Respect doctors, nurses, sanitation workers; don't ill treat them.
The lockdown that came into effect on March 25 was to end on the midnight of April 14. The drastic measure shone the spotlight on the miseries of lakhs of migrant workers whose journeys on foot from several urban centres to their villages hundreds of kilometres away grabbed headlines for many days last month.
The catastrophic effect of the lockdown on the overall economy and livelihoods of lakhs of migrant workers triggered severe concerns following which a number of chief ministers in their video conference with Modi on Saturday sought some kind of relaxation for a number of sectors.
