Will the lockdown end on 03 May 2020? Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday convened a video conference with the Chief Ministers of various states. The agenda was to discuss the current status of the coronavirus pandemic in the country as well as get the Chief Ministers’ views on the lockdown deadline and hints at graded lockdown. The meeting was also attended by Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, and Union Health Minister, Harsh Vardhan.
The Prime Minister discussed a ‘graded’ lockdown relaxation in the upcoming weeks. Stating that India’s progress has been commendable, in fighting coronavirus, the PM took stock of the situation across various states. He said that all states must now make efforts to convert the red zones into orange and subsequently, into green zones. This being the larger objective as compared to when will the lockdown end. PM Modi also stated that the economy must be taken into consideration while fighting against the virus, thereby hinting at the relaxation of rules.
Talking about what the future could look like in India, PM Modi stated that face masks would now be a part of our lives since coronavirus is still rampant. The PM gave a mantra of ‘Do Gaz Doori’ for physical distancing norms. The Chief Ministers were asked to account for the upcoming monsoon season and be prepared since illnesses could multiply during these months. Aside from Odisha, Meghalaya and Himachal Pradesh, all other state Chief Ministers said they wish for the lockdown to be phased out slowly. While Meghalaya CM, Conrad Sangma, stated that lockdown restrictions will be maintained post 3 May. Odisha CM, Naveen Patnaik, stated that the government would observe the prevailing conditions post one month and decide on whether to end the graded lockdown.
Meanwhile back home, Andhra Pradesh tops in the country as the state with most tests done per million. In the last 24 hours, 80 new cases were registered across the state out of the 6,517 samples tested. While Krishna District is a cause of concern with 33 cases, a welcome sign is that no cases have been registered in seven districts of AP as of 27 April 2020. 235 people have been discharged, while 31 people, unfortunately, succumbed to the virus.
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