New Delhi, April 14: The total lockdown in India has been extended till May 3, announced Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his special address to the nation on Tuesday. Modi said the decision has been taken after feedback received from experts, state governments and citizen groups. The announcement comes on the day when the current phase of 21-day lockdown was scheduled to end. Catch here the full highlights and updates of PM Modi's address.

Modi, however, announced that certain relaxations will be allowed in areas with the least COVID-19 hotspots from April 20. The measure is aimed at allowing minimum economic activity to aid the labourers and daily wagers. The relaxations would be allowed only if measures of social distancing are strictly followed, he added.

Till 20th April, all districts, localities, states will be closely monitored, as to how strictly they are implementing norms. States which will not let hotspots increase, they could be allowed to let some important activities resume, but with certain condition," Modi announced.

"New hotspots will only pose more problems. Therefore, strictness will be increased over the next one week. Till April 20, every area will be observed closely to check how lockdown is being followed and how many cases are emerging. Which regions come out of this strongly, we will allow some important activities after April 20," he said.

The Prime Minister claimed that India's strategy to impose stringent restrictions and curb public movement is the best method to combat the spread of coronavirus so far. "It's clear that the path we have chosen is the correct one. Social distancing and lockdown have helped India. Economically, it has definitely been an expensive decision. But nothing compared to the lives of Indians," he added.

Modi, in his address, lauded the nation for patiently bracing the unprecedented hardship brought through the lockdown. He also expressed gratitude to the masses for observing their regional New Year festivals, along with other religious festivities, at home due to the shutdown.

"India's fight against coronavirus is going strong. India has been able to minimise the bad impact of COVID-19 because of your efforts. You have saved India with all your efforts. I know you have all faced difficulties. I salute you all," he said.

Ahead of PM Modi's announcements, nine states and one union territory decided to officially notify the extension of lockdown in view of the coronavirus threat in their respective provinces. Other state governments had appealed the Centre to prolong the pan-India level restrictions to curtail the further transmission of the virus.

In the video-interaction with State Chief Ministers on Saturday, Modi had reportedly agreed that the lockdown should remain for two more weeks. An official announcement from the Centre was, however, delayed. This led to the speculation that the Prime Minister was considering a rejig in lockdown strategy considering its economic fallout.

As per reports, the central government had began considering to divide the nation into three zones - red, orange and green - as per the threat of coronavirus. Those with the largest number of COVID-19 cases would be placed in the red category - mandating absolute restrictions, followed by the orange zone with partial shutdown and green zone with minimum restrictions.

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had warned the Modi government against imposing a "one-size-fits-all lockdown", claiming that it has brought an unprecedented misery to those at the middle and lower half of the economic strata. He also demanded an escalation in the pace of testings to minimise the number of casualties.

"The one-size-fit-all lockdown has brought untold misery and suffering to millions of farmers, migrant labourers, daily wagers and business owners. It needs a “smart” upgrade, using mass testing to isolate virus hotspots and allowing businesses in other areas to gradually reopen," Gandhi had said.

The number of coronavirus cases, on the day Modi made his special address to the nation, crossed the 10,000-mark. The number of active infections reached 8,988, followed by 1,036 recoveries and 339 deaths. Globally, the pandemic has infected around 2 million persons and claimed more than 120,000 lives.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 14, 2020 10:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).