Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again stressed the importance of a lockdown and social distancing in the country’s fight against Covid-19 as he spoke with chief ministers on Saturday, saying the measures will save lives.
The Prime Minister also put in praise for Indian citizens, who he said have understood the importance of staying home to stay safe from the deadly infection, which has killed thousands and affected millions across the globe.
Several chief ministers, including Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab’s Amarinder Singh, urged the Prime Minister to extend the 21-day lockdown till the end of April saying it has helped in containing the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
“Talking about the lockdown, I had said: jaan hai to jahan hai. When I had given a message to the nation, I had initially emphasised that lockdown and social distancing are very important to save the life of every citizen,” he said during his meeting with the CMs.
As most of the people in the country, he said, understood their duty and importance of staying indoors, the government has also tried to save the lives of the citizens by following this mantra.
“And now for the bright future of India, for a prosperous and healthy India, it’s necessary to pay attention to both the aspects—life as well as the world,” he said during the video conference.
The Prime Minister also appealed to the CMs to share all information without any hesitation and said he is available 24/7 to talk to them, listen to their suggestions and problems and help the states.
Maharashtra’s Uddhav Thackeray, Uttar Pradesh’s Yogi Adityanath and Telangana’s K Chandrasekhar Rao have also suggested extending the lockdown till April 30.
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India reported 40 Covid-19 deaths and 1035 new cases of the coronavirus disease in the last 24 hours, the sharpest increase so far, while the number of infections crossed 7400 on Saturday morning.
The Union ministry of health data at 8am showed the country’s number of coronavirus cases jumped to 7447, including 6565 active cases, 643 cured, discharged or migrated people and 239 fatalities.
