Chennai, Mar 24 (PTI) Opposition DMK in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a three week lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, saying it should be made into a "self-imposed rule."

Party chief M K Stalin said people should realise there was no alternative to stem the spread of the virus.

"I wholeheartedly welcome the 21-day lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop the (spread) of coronavirus," he said in a Facebook post.

"Let's make this a self-imposed rule," he added.

People should realise there was no alternative to check the virus spread and follow it, he said.

Modi earlier announced a complete lockdown across the country for 21 days from Tuesday midnight, asserting that social distancing is the only way out for the country in its decisive battle against the coronavirus.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)