New Delhi, March 19: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his special address to the nation on coronavirus pandemic on Thursday, said a "janata curfew" or people's curfew must be adhered to by the nation from 7 am in the morning to 9 pm in the evening. The janata curfew would come into effect on every Sunday, beginning from March 22, the PM said. "The janata curfew would test how much India and its people are ready to combat the coronavirus," he said. Catch Live Updates of Coronavirus Pandemic In India and Other Parts of the World.

Earlier, Modi described coronavirus as a crisis which is worse than two world wars which had erupted in the last century. "Even World War I and II did not affect as many countries as coronavirus has done," the PM said.

"This crisis has engulfed the entire human race. For the past two months, we have been watching with concern the news about coronavirus spreading across the world.  Till l now science has not been able to find a proper remedy for coronavirus and no vaccine has been developed yet. In such a situation, it is natural to worry," he added.

"For the last few days, it looks like if we are safe from coronavirus. This belief is not right. Hence, it is very important for every Indian to remain aware and alert," Modi said, adding that coronavirus has dealt a severe blow on the working class, middle class, salaried class and the medium and small scale enterprises.

Modi appealed employers across the nation to not slash the wages of their workers -- who are unable to join work due to the spread of novel coronavirus. "For a developing country like ours with a large population the growing challenge of Coronavirus is not a normal situation," he said.

The coronavirus has so far infected 168 persons in India, leading to the death of four persons. In his 30-minute address to the nation, the PM warned against being driven by panic. Modi said there will be no shortage of resources in the next coming days, and that the people must remain "resilient" in the collective fight against COVID-19.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 19, 2020 08:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).