Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19.He appealed to the people to strictly practise social distancing and said millions of families could get destroyed and India pushed back 21 years if the people did not adhere to the 21-day lockdown.NA

The nationwide lockdown came into effect from Wednesday midnight and will continue until April 14. “Co-ro-na yaani koi road par na nikle,” the prime minister said displaying a placard in Hindi.In a 29-minute address to the nation, the prime minister said the Centre had allocated Rs 15,000 crore to strengthen the country’s health infrastructure. This will be used to increase testing capacities, provisions of personal protective equipment (PPE), isolation and ICU beds, ventilators, and other resources to fight the pandemic.

He said the fund would also be used for training medical and paramedics.Amid reports that some people have resorted to self-medication to cure the disease, the prime minister cautioned people to not take any medicines without the advice of the doctor, or this could end in a misadventure.

The prime minister lauded the people for making successful his earlier appeal to observe a ‘janata curfew’ on Sunday, but asked people to treat the 21-day lockdown as mandatory curfew, where they should not cross the ‘lakshman rekha’, or the threshold of their homes.

Modi said the speed at which coronavirus had spread had brought even developed countries, which have substantial resources, to their knees.He said two months of research of this virus had revealed that the only effective way to save “ourselves” from it was social distancing.

“There is no other way. We have to break the cycle of its spread if we have to save ourselves,” the prime minister said.Modi decried those who believe that only those infected have to practise social distancing. He said those not practising social distancing were not only risking their own lives and that of their loved ones.

The PM said there will be a massive economic cost because of the lockdown, but it needs to be done to save India, save each and every citizen of India. He said the 21 days will be the “decisive battle” against coronavirus. Modi appealed to people with “folded hands” to follow the advisories and instructions of the Centre and state governments.

“Please remember that those infected with coronavirus initially look healthy, and do not show any symptoms of the infection,” Modi said. Citing WHO reports, the PM said one infected person can spread the virus to hundreds within a week to 10-days.

He said the WHO data has revealed that coronavirus took 67 days to infect the first one lakh people, 11 days to spread to the next lakh and only four days to infect three lakh people.

Modi said when coronavirus spread in countries such as China, the US, France, Germany, Spain and Iran, their systems collapsed under the weight of the number of patients. “Please remember, the health infrastructure of Italy and the US is one of the best in the world and despite that these countries could not check the spread of coronavirus,” Modi said.

He said India is at a stage when the next 21-days will decide its future. “Yaad rakhna, jahan hai to jahan hai,” Modi said, and asked people to spare a thought for those who are risking their lives to provide essential services – doctors, nurses, police officials, etc.The PM said the Centre and state governments are working round the clock to ensure people get essential supplies. He said this grim period is going to be a difficult time for the poorest, but the priority right now is to save lives.

Modi said he has asked state governments to focus on providing healthcare to people. He said the private sector’s cooperation in this hour of need was a matter of satisfaction, and private hospitals and labs are helping the government’s efforts.The PM asked people not to get misled by rumours, and advised them to follow the instructions.

Addressing the nation on battling the COVID-19 menace. #IndiaFightsCorona https://t.co/jKyFMOQO5a

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 24, 2020

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