Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation today at 8pm, touching on the “vital aspects of the novel coronavirus pandemic”, ANI reported.
In his most recent televised address, Modi had called for the 'Janata Curfew' from 7am to 9pm on March 22, saying no citizen, barring those in essential services, should get out of their houses. During his appeal for 'Janata Curfew', Modi had asked people to express gratitude to doctors, paramedics, police and others at the frontline of the battle against coronavirus. The citizens responded to the appeal. The country wore a deserted look on Sunday as residents stayed indoors. The streets were eerily quiet, with the silence interrupted every few hours by 'azaan' or prayer call from mosques. PM Modi had said the 14-hour-long ‘Janata Curfew’ on Sunday was just the beginning of a long battle against coronavirus outbreak.
The number of coronavirus cases have been skyrocketing across the country, with Kerala reporting 28 and Maharashtra reporting 23 cases on Monday. Restrictions and lockdowns have been issued in almost all states now. Punjab, on Monday, became the first in the country to impose curfew in the entire state with no relaxations, and only exempted essential services to prevent the infection, while Maharshtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said curfew will be imposed in the entire state from Monday midnight as the fight against coronavirus has reached a "turning point".
PM Modi also asked state governments to ensure that rules and regulations of the coronavirus lockdown are enforced as he noted that many people are not taking the measure seriously. "Many people are still not taking the lockdown seriously. Please save yourself, save your family, follow the instructions seriously. I request state governments to ensure rules and laws are followed," he said in a tweet in Hindi.