Turn off lights and flash candles, torches at 9pm on Sunday: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday, urged people to turn off lights at 9pm on April 5, and flash candles, torches and mobile flashlights for nine minutes. “We have stood together and fought the coronavirus pandemic together," he said in a video message. "We have set an example to the world. In the time of lockdown, we displayed the same unity. Crores of people are in their homes. We might be alone in our homes, but we are not alone in this fight. The Indian society is fighting this together. This Sunday, April 5, we must come together to dissolve the darkness of COVID-19 and bring in light. On April 5, 9pm, I need your nine minutes. Turn off all lights in your home and light lamps, mobile flash lights and torches. We are not alone in this fight. Nobody is alone. But, please do this activity within the confines of your home. Do not violate social distancing."

PM Modi, before his video message, had interacted with chief ministers through a video conference and told them to focus on COVID-19 containment measures—testing, tracing, isolation and quarantine—and said it was imperative to work on a war footing, identify hotspots, encircle them and ensure that the infection does not spread out. According to an official statement, Modi also pitched for formulating a common exit strategy to ensure "staggered re-emergence of the population" once the 21-day nationwide lockdown ends on April 14. Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said the prime minister has urged states to manage the coronavirus crisis at the district level.

Pitching for efforts on a war footing to identify and isolate COVID-19 hotspots, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hinted at a "staggered" exit from the ongoing lockdown after the 21-day period ends on April 14 while the nationwide tally of confirmed cases of the deadly virus infection rose by more than 500 to cross 2,500 with at least 76 deaths. With a huge congregation of Tablighi Jamaat in the national capital's Nizamuddin area last month emerging as the biggest hotspot of the coronavirus outbreak, authorities said nearly 9,000 people—members of the Jamaat and their primary contacts—have been identified and quarantined across the country. This includes, 1,306 foreigners associated with the Jamaat.

The figures announced by various states, including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Telangana, showed at least 556 positive cases getting detected on Thursday itself—taking the total to 2,507. At least 17 more deaths were reported too during the day. A majority of the new cases are linked to the congregation, officials said.

The Union home ministry put its consolidated nationwide tally at 53 deaths and 2,069 confirmed cases of infection, including 55 foreign nationals.