Prime Minister Narendra Modi said all steps would be taken to prevent the further spread of Coronavirus

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced an extension of the ongoing countrywide lockdown till May 3. In an address to the nation, the Prime Minister outlined the steps that the government had taken and charted out a course for the next few weeks.

Here are five key takeaways from PM Modi’s address to the nation:

1. Till 20 April, every locality, police station, district, every state will be analysed very carefully to see how they have implemented the lockdown. From April 20, permission may be granted for some activities in the regions which succeed in not letting the number of hotspots increase. But the rules for stepping out will be very stringent.


2. Detailed guidelines will be issued on April 15. Limited areas may be given limited exceptions keeping in mind the needs of the poor who have to earn daily to meet their needs. The intention will be to try and minimise the hardships to this section.


3. This is the time when Rabi crops are harvested. The centre as well as states are trying to ensure minimum hardship to farmers during this period. The country has to have medicines as well as rations


4. Before the number of cases touched 100, India made a 14-day isolation mandatory for passengers from affected countries. When there were 550 cases, India took the step of a 21-day complete countrywide lockdown. The government did not wait for the problem to become bigger, but acted fast and took quick decisions.


5. A month, a month-and-a-half ago, many countries were at the same level as India. Today, those countries have 25-30 times more cases than India. Thousands of people have died. If India had not taken a holistic, integrated approach, not taken decisions on time...it is scary to imagine what the situation would have been.