Putting forward a sort of a challenge before the country to successfully flatten the Coronavirus curve, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that certain areas may be given a conditional reprieve from April 20 if they show improvement in containing the outbreak.
The nationwide lockdown has been extended till May 3 in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases. The 21-day lockdown announced on March 24 ended today.
Stressing that the focus should be not to allow creation of any new hotspots, PM Modi said social distancing is the only way to pass the “agni pariksha”.
In his fourth address to the nation since the pandemic became a cause for serious concern in the country, the PM said the shutdown will be enforced with more strict nature and all states will be evaluated on their performance in containing the outbreak. If any state or its any district is found satisfactory, certain areas may be given conditional reprieve from April 20.
The Prime Minister said hotspots will see enhanced lockdown measures. “We must ensure that new hotspots do not spring up. Hotspots will see enhanced lockdown measures. For this, the nation will face stricter lockdown measures till April 20.”
And therefore, he asked people to follow the rules and not take the lockdown lightly.
It was widely speculated that PM Modi will extend the emergency protocol until at least the end of April and move in a limited way to restart the economy by selectively easing curbs on industry.
The Government will issue a detailed guideline on Wednesday about the do’s and don’ts during the extended period.
PM Modi further assured that the restricted movement from April 20 has been discussed keeping in mind poor people’s economic shortcomings. He added that easing the difficulty of poor people and farmers is among his top priorities.
The PM in his address also stressed the importance of social distancing and lockdown saying that India has benefited from these containment measures.
The decision to extend the lockdown comes three days after PM Modi chaired a video conference of chief ministers of at least 13 states on Saturday, which mainly focused on exit strategy and discussions on lockdown extension.
Meanwhile, the Government has decided to get the country going once again by allowing 15 various industries to commence operations but with minimum manpower and distancing norms on a single shift basis.
These include those involved in manufacturing of heavy electrical items like transformers and circuit vehicles, telecom equipment and components including optic fiber cable, compressor and condenser units, steel and ferrous alloy mills, spinning and ginning mills, power looms, and defence and defence ancillary units.
Cement plants, however, can run in three shifts as cement production is a continuous process.
Pulp and paper units can resume their production in clusters where COVID-19 cases are low based on the data by the state authorities, said a Home Ministry direction issued to all state and Union Territory Chief Secretaries.
Fertiliser plants, paints and dyes manufacturing, all types of food and beverages, seeds processing units, plastic manufacturing units, automotive units, gems and jewellery sector units, all units in Special Economic Zones and Export Oriented Units have also been exempted from nationwide lockdown measures.
Also, the government has decided to allow trucks, repair services, and street vendors to start work.
The above decisions are being perceived as a step towards the exit strategy.
The Home Ministry instructed that the Development Commissioners will be given responsibility for ensuring sanitation and distancing norms.
District authorities will monitor and ensure that those sectors which are allowed exemption from lockdown need to adhere to safety, sanitation and distancing norms.
The government issued the instructions in view of maintaining a supply chain of essential goods for the welfare of during the lockdown period.