Reports of COVID-19 lockdown extension not true: Government

SRINAGAR — The government has rejected news reports that claimed that the COVID-19 lockdown will be extended in the country. As of now, India is under a 21-day lockdown that will end on April 14.

Cabinet Secretary, Rajiv Gauba clarified that reports of lockdown extension in certain sections of media and on social media are not true.

“There are rumours & media reports, claiming that the Government will extend the #Lockdown21 when it expires. The Cabinet Secretary has denied these reports, and stated that they are baseless,” PIB statement said.

The 21-day lockdown was announced by PM Modi on March 24 (Tuesday) asking people to remain indoors as it was very important to control the spread of coronavirus. The Prime Minister said that if India fails to contain the virus, then its impact will be devastating for all. He asked citizens to strictly follow the lockdown and maintain social distancing, mentioning experts around the world have said that it is the only way to stop the virus from spreading further.

Following the lockdown, there has been a massive exodus of migrant workers from big cities to their villages after being rendered jobless.

Earlier on Sunday, Centre issued guidelines for States to enforce coronavirus lockdown strictly. Centre’s intervention came after lakhs of migrant workers across States started moving towards their home towns.

The Modi government also directed States to pay full wages to daily labourers.

For the majority of people (especially young), the novel coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms including fever and cough. However, those who are already suffering from some illness such as respiratory problem or adults, are more likely to be affected by COVID-19 and can cause severe illness, including pneumonia.

People should also note that the majority of people who test postive for COVID-19 also do recover from the disease. People with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.​