No address to the nation by PM Modi today, says govt official

There had been speculation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation following his video conference with chief ministers to take stock of the situation in the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not address the nation on Saturday, a government official said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi seen wearing a mask during video-conferencing with the Chief Ministers over COVID19, in New Delhi (ANI)

There had been speculation that the PM could address the nation following his video conference with chief ministers where many of them suggested that the lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus be extended by two weeks.

In March, Modi had addressed the nation twice. The first time was on March 19 when he called for a “janta curfew” for March 22. The second was on March 24 when he announced the 21-day lockdown that was to end on April 14.

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The end of the lockdown now seems unlikely with most chief ministers batting for an extension. PM Modi has agreed that continuing the lockdown is a must.

He emphasized the criticality of coming 3-4 weeks for determining the impact of the steps taken till now to contain the virus, adding that teamwork is the key to facing the challenge, the PMO said in a statement.

On Friday, Punjab and Odisha had already extended the lockdown till April 30. At Saturday’s video conference, chief ministers of Punjab and Delhi were among those who strongly pitched for extending the lockdown.

After the video conference, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that the state will remain in lockdown till April 30. Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of coronavirus positive cases.

More than 7,500 people have been affected by coronavirus in the country so far while 242 have died.