PM Set to Announce Lockdown Extension; States Roll Out Lockdown Till April 30

PM Set to Extend Lockdown Period, Several State Govts Announce it till April 30
Lockdown extended in several States to control the spread of Covid-19
PM Set to Extend Lockdown Period, Several State Govts Announce it till April 30
Lockdown extended in several States to control the spread of Covid-19

Despite the lockdown, the nationwide COVID-19 cases continue to rise. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not made any announcement on the extension of the three-week lockdown yet. Still, he has advocated the lockdown policy in his meeting with chief ministers via video conference on Saturday.

PM likely to extend lockdown

Seeing the seriousness of the situation, the nationwide lockdown amid novel coronavirus is expected to be extended until the end of April. PM Modi during a video-conference with chief ministers on Saturday emphasised on “jaan bhi, jahaan bhi”, it means save livelihoods besides lives. With the growth of the pandemic, several states have already decided to extend the lockdown period until the end of the month.

States that have announced the extension of lockdown 

West Bengal

The West Bengal (WB) chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday announced the extension of the coronavirus lockdown in the state till April 30. She took this decision after attending the video-conference with prime minister Narendra Modi. However, schools and colleges in the state have been closed till June 10. The WB government is set to conduct rapid tests in the hotspots of COVID-19 to contain the deadly virus.

Mamta Banerjee said the Prime Minister noted that the next two weeks were going to be “crucial and critical” in the fight against COVID-19.

Telangana

Chief Minister of Telangana K Chandrasekhar Rao announced on Saturday the extension of the lockdown in the wake of novel coronavirus till the end of April. The CM of the state appealed to the people to help the government in the fight against deadly COVID-19. Rao gave several suggestions during the interaction with the PM.

He stressed the creation of a task force that should work under the chairmanship of PM Modi. The state CM said strict steps are needed to ensure that Telangana is protected. He further added there could be a possibility of lifting the lockdown after April 30 in a phased manner if things improve.

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is the worst-hit state in India by COVID-19. Therefore, the state chief minister Uddhav Thackeray decided to extend the lockdown till April 30. He took this decision hours after attending the video-conference with the prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

He asked people to be “mentally prepared” for an extended battle if the situation did not ease by then “The lockdown will be extended till April 30, that’s a minimum.

Odisha

The Odisha government on Thursday announced the extension of the lockdown till the end of the month. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, “The State Cabinet which met today decided that saving the lives of our people is the topmost priority at this juncture.

Punjab

The Punjab government on Friday extended the lockdown period up to May 1; the state government is fearing that the COVID-19 outbreak may spread in the community. The state cabinet has decided to rope in private hospitals of the state to combat novel coronavirus. Punjab had imposed a state-wide curfew on March 23, a day ahead of nationwide lockdown announced by the prime minister Narendra Modi.

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami has also announced the extension of the lockdown by the end of April to contain the spread of COVID-19 outbreak in the state. The state government took this step after the recommendations made by public health experts.

Karnataka

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announced the extension of the lockdown by two more weeks but hinted to provide some relaxation for commercial activities in the industrial and agricultural sectors as well.

Delhi

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has advocated the lockdown extension which is going to end on April 14. But his official decision is awaited.

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