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PM Narendra Modi speaks to CMs on extending COVID-19 lockdown
As India grapples with the coronavirus pandemic with nearly 7,500 cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a video-conference with chief ministers of all states and Union Territories to discuss the next course of action and decide whether the 21-day nationwide lockdown, which is to end on April 14, should be extended. PM Modi, and other ministers, were seen wearing home-made masks during the call which began at 11 am and is underway.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is learnt to have suggested an extension of the lockdown till April 30 in order to contain the infection. His Punjab counterpart, Amarinder Singh, also pushed for the same.
Amrinder Singh (Punjab), Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Uddhav Thackeray (Maharashtra), Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Manohar Lal (Haryana), K Chandrashekhar Rao (Telangana) and Nitish kumar (Bihar) were among the chief ministers who joined the video conference.
Last week, the Prime Minister had said that it was unlikely that the lockdown would be lifted in “one go” as the priority of his government was to “save each and every life”.
“The Prime Minister will take a final call after considering all aspects and holding discussions with experts. We are sure that every state will follow the decision he takes,” sources had earlier told The Indian Express.
PM Modi had held a similar conference with chief ministers last week, wherein he urged states to “formulate a common exit strategy to ensure staggered re-emergence of the population once the lockdown ends” on April 14. He also emphasised the need to “continuously monitor and maintain social distancing as much as possible”.
While most states have pinned their eyes on the Centre, Punjab and Odisha have already extended restrictions in the state till the end of April.
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On Thursday, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said in a statement to residents of the state: “At this crucial juncture one has to decide between protecting lives of people and economic activity.
“We have decided to extend the lockdown till April 30. We will recommend to the Government of India to extend the national lockdown (up to the same time period),” he added. All schools in the state will remain closed till June 17.
On Friday, Punjab became the second state to extend restrictions till the month-end. The government was among the early states to impose a lockdown, on March 22, two days before the central government imposed restrictions nationwide to contain the outbreak.
Doctors and officials help an elderly lady who was found near a pavement near Sassoon Hospital in Pune. (Express photo/Arul Horizon)
At least seven states last week indicated that they would continue to have some restrictions in place even after April 14.
While Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said he was in favour of extending the lockdown in his state, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand indicated that they would not fully lift the restrictions after Tuesday.
Assam is planning a registration system to regulate those who enter the state post lockdown.
Maharashtra, which has recorded the maximum number of cases so far, is likely to extend the lockdown in the Mumbai and Pune regions, as well in other hotspots. State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said, “There is a protocol to relaxing the lockdown and it will be followed. Also, the Union government issues advisories to states. Those will be studied and then a decision will be taken.”
MCGM medical staff in Dawari Nagar, Santacruz in Mumbai, where fresh cases of coronavirus cases were reported. (Express photo/Prashant Nadkar)
Uttar Pradesh officials said that following a rise in number of cases in the state linked to the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in New Delhi (159 out of 305), “there is now uncertainty over lifting of the lockdown”.
Rajasthan is working on a “staggered” exit strategy with curbs in “high risk zones”, while in Chhattisgarh, where there are 10 cases, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against lifting interstate travel over worries the outbreak will spread.
Madhya Pradesh struck a different note with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan saying that wheat procurement will begin from April 15. The state has counted 165 cases of COVID-19.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the state, which has 4 cases, would lift the lockdown only after the government is satisfied that the situation is under control — “or else, we will keep it slow”.
INDIAN EXPRESS
