India PM Modi urges state governments to use lockdown as last resort to contain virus - GulfToday

India PM Modi urges state governments to use lockdown as last resort to contain virus

  • 20 Apr 2021
Modi-750x500

Narendra Modi.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged state governments on Tuesday to use lockdowns as the last resort to contain the spread of the second wave of COVID-19 infections, even as cases and deaths surge to record highs.

Modi also asked citizens to stay indoors, not spread panic about the virus and form local groups to ensure adherence to COVID-19 protocols. He said the central government is working with states and private companies to ramp up the supply of oxygen, as well as production and distribution of vaccines.

Rahul Gandhi, an opposition Congress party leader and scion of India’s Nehru-Gandhi family, says he has tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing mild symptoms.

Gandhi, 50, said in a tweet on Tuesday, "All those who’ve been in contact with me recently, please follow all safety protocols and stay safe.” Gandhi last week called off political rallies in West Bengal state where provincial elections are being held.

On Monday, another top Congress party leader and former prime minister, Manmohan Singh, also tested positive and was hospitalized as a precaution. Singh, 88, had a mild fever on Sunday.

A senior Congress party leader, P. Chidambaram, said on Tuesday that Singh ”is stable and the progress is good.”

India’s Health Ministry reported 259,170 new infections and 1,761 deaths on Tuesday. The country has reported daily infections above the 200,000 mark for six days.

Related articles

Modi inclined to extend lockdown, confident on economy

Modi conveyed to chief ministers that the country will have to give importance to the economy as well as to continue the fight against coronavirus. "We have to give importance to to the economy as well as continue the fight against Covid-19. We have to be brave and bring reforms that touch lives of common people," he said.

27 Apr 2020

Indian PM Modi announces nationwide lockdown for 21 days, starting tonight

Modi says saving lives is priority as of now and requests citizens to stay put wherever they are.

24 Mar 2020

India extends lockdown for 2 more weeks from May 4


The Ministry also issued new guidelines to regulate different activities in this period, based on the risk profiling of the districts of the country into Red (hotspot), Green and Orange Zones.

01 May 2020

Convincing labourers to return will be India’s next big task

Migrant workers fled India’s cities en masse last month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s lockdown left them suddenly unemployed. Now the employers that let them go may need to offer big incentives to lure them back.

17 Apr 2020

Most Popular Stories

Other Articles

‘Bombing’ hits Iraq military base: Security sources

The explosion hit the Calso military base in Babylon province south of Baghdad, where Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces, or Hashed Al Shaabi, is stationed, according to an interior ministry source and a military official.

44 minutes ago

Calls for calm after reported Israeli strike on Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Israeli micro-drones used in the operation had caused no deaths or damage, dismissing it as a "desperate attempt to make a victory out of their repeated defeats".

an hour ago

Dubai Airports advises travellers against arriving too early to avoid overcrowding

Dubai Airports has issued an alert urging guests departing from Dubai International (DXB) to arrive at Terminal 3 hours before their departure time. In a statement, the company advised travellers against arriving too early to avoid further overcrowding at the airport.

an hour ago

Pakistan PM lauds UAE leadership for outstanding flood management

President Sheikh Mohamed received two phone calls from King Abdullah II and Shahbaz Sharif, in which they expressed their wishes for the safety of the UAE and its people following the difficult weather conditions and heavy rains that the country witnessed recently.

13 hours ago