Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a nation-wide lockdown for 21 days in order to stop the spread of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). He made the announcement on television addressing the nation, saying that it had become necessary to take the decision to “break the cycle”. The lockdown begins at 12 midnight.
He said that the countries that have been able to tackle the spread of COVID-19 have been able to do so through lockdown. He asked people to not step out of their homes, and said that symptoms were not clear in the initial stage. There are currently 470 positive cases of COVID-19 is 470 according to the official website of the Union Ministry of Health. Nine persons have died and 39 have been treated and discharged.
Already, lockdowns have been announced in several states, including West Bengal, till March 31.
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The Prime Minister has also announced Rs 15,000 crore funds for fighting Coronavirus, which is aimed at creating facilities in healthcare and health infrastructure — including hospital beds, testing facilities and so on, as well as ensure training of medical professionals.
