Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation today at 10 am and briefed about the next phase of the lockdown. The first phase of lockdown announced on the 24th of March ended today.
The address was much awaited as the nation was clueless about the further steps the government was to take to combat the COVID-19 crisis. While few states have already extended lockdown, a nationwide address by the Prime Minister was keenly awaited. The Prime Minister had chaired a meeting with all the Chief Ministers on the 11th of April to analyze the situation throughout the country.
Advertisements
Here are the highlights of the address:
- The lockdown is officially extended to the 3rd of May.
- Until the 20th of April, all the hotspot regions and the regions that are on the verge of hotspot will be monitored carefully.
- In this period, the rules will be strengthened in these areas.
- Post the 20th of April, if these areas contain the spread, there might be relaxation on the lockdown rules on those regions.
- The relaxation will be reversed if there are any new outbreaks in those regions.
- The relaxation will be done considering the plight of poor and daily wage earners.
- There are efforts by the government to minimize the problems farmers face while procuring the produce.
- The Prime Minister invited youngsters of the nation to come forward in preparing the vaccine for COVID-19
- The detailed guidelines of the extended lockdown will be officially released by the government tomorrow.
