Lockdown Will Continue Till May 3, Modi Tells Indians

412 new cases and 3 deaths in the UAE; movement of labourers between emirates restricted; Pakistan extends lockdown by 2 weeks; governor firm on not reopening New York in a rush; UK toll higher than recently reported.

- Resmi Sivaram

Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the nation on Tuesday morning that his government is extending the national lockdown forced by the COVID-19 pandemic to May 3.

In a televised address, the prime minister said the government would consider easing of restrictions after April 20 only.

“We have done well, but we can’t afford to lower our guard,” Modi told millions eagerly listening to his 10am address that lasted 25 minutes.

“We absolutely must ensure that this virus does not spread to any further parts of the country. We should be worried every time we hear that someone in some part of the country has died of the virus. We must ensure that new hotspots do not spring up.” Minutes after Modi announced the extention of the national lockdown till May 3, India Railways too extended suspension of its passenger services till May 3.

More than 1.92 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 120,670 have died. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.