As of 23:59 on March 24, 2020, India entered a lockdown for three weeks. "There will be a total ban on venturing out of your homes," Prime Minister Modi said in a televised address. Modi requested for no one to panic during this time as India is trying to keep the Covid'19 crisis under control. The new measures were placed in India due to a sharp increase in cases in recent days: there have been 519 confirmed cases across India and 10 reported deaths.
PM Modi added: "To save India, to save its every citizen, you, your family... every street, every neighbourhood is being put under lockdown." He stressed the idea that if the country does not abide by the rule of law and stay under lockdown, the nation will go back 21 years. Not going under lockdown would have serious health and political consequences for the whole nation so the Indian Government pleaded the citizens to stay at home. Anyone flouting the new rules faces up to two years in prison and heavy fines.
Lockdowns of a whole nation does have its consequences though but Modi said that the Indian government was ready to reap the economic consequences of the lockdown: "This is a curfew," he said. "We will have to pay the economic cost of this but [it] is the responsibility of everyone.".
The streets of the cities in India are now deserted but when Modi was making his address yesterday, it was total chaos. People were panic buying and stocking up on durable goods: they were stockpiling staple food items (eg. rice). People on the streets said that they had never seen anything like it – people were in full blown panic and were buying anything they could get their hands on.
View PM Modi's official tweet on India's lockdown here: https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1242477941407117316
"In his address, Prime Minister Modi also:
Stressed that the 21-day lockdown was "very necessary to break the chain of coronavirus"
Emphasised the seriousness of the situation and said that even developed countries had faced problems in combating it
Said that "social distancing was the only way to stop" the virus spreading
Announced that nearly $2bn (£1.8bn) would be made available to boost the country's health infrastructure
Called on people not to "spread rumours" and to follow instructions" (source: BBC)
Under the new policies, all non-essential businesses will be closed but hospitals and other medical facilities will continue to function as normal. Schools and universities will remain shut and public gatherings will be banned.
As of now, there are 19 countries in a full lock-down. Hopefully these measures can alleviate the crisis and prevent the spread of the virus. (view the full list of all fully locked-down nations here: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11233604/which-countries-are-on-coronavirus-lockdown-spain-italy/)
Link to PM Modi's speech: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/narendra-modi-on-india-lockdown-taking-steps-to-ensure-essential-supplies/videoshow/74798831.cms
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