New Delhi, April 14: PM Narendra Modi in his address to the nation today extended the lockdown till May 3. The nationwide lockdown has been further extended by 19 days. PM Narendra Modi in his address today, stressed the need to strictly follow rules during the lockdown period. He highlighted how strictness will be increased over the next week and there would be some relaxation is areas that follow lockdown and report no new cases.

"Till April 20, every area will be observed closely to check how lockdown is being followed and how many new cases are emerging. The regions which come out of this strongly, we will allow some important activities after April 20. However, if social distancing is not followed in these areas, there will be a total clampdown again," said PM Modi. Lockdown Extended in India Till May 3, Announces PM Narendra Modi in Address to The Nation on Coronavirus Crisis.

PM Modi said that we cannot let coronavirus to spread in any new areas. He also highlighted the importance of identifying hotspots and the need to be alert, more than before. The first lockdown was imposed by the Prime Minister on March 24 with the aim to contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19. The address comes days after the Prime Minister held consultations with Chief Ministers through video-conferencing.  From Monday, all ministers and senior bureaucrats resumed working from the office, giving out a signal that the government was returning to normalcy.

The total number of coronavirus cases in India crossed the 10,000 mark today. The cases have increased to 10,363 (including 8988 active cases, 1035 cured, discharged and migrated. The death toll, on the other hand, has jumped to 339, according to numbers released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday morning.

In his address to the nation on March 24 and afterwards, PM Narendra Modi urged people to stay in their homes and to follow the lockdown seriously. From time and again, he also reminded people to maintain social distancing and to keep the spirits high during this critical time.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 14, 2020 10:29 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).