NEW DELHI, Apr 11: The nationwide lockdown to contain the coronavirus looks set to be extended by two more weeks till April-end after a consensus emerged among states on Saturday for continuing the curbs amid the tally of confirmed infections crossing 8,000 with a record increase of over 1,000 cases within 24 hours.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked state governments to take steps to curb the lockdown violations and ensure adherence to social distancing, he also announced a shift in focus from “Jaan hai to jahaan hai (health is wealth)” to “Jaan bhi, jahaan bhi (lives as well as livelihoods),” which many saw as indications towards relaxations for certain economic activities, including for industrial and agriculture sectors.
The next 3-4 weeks would be critical to determine the impact of the steps taken till now to curb the virus spread, Modi told the chief ministers.
In its evening update as on 5 pm, the ministry put the number of confirmed cases so far across the country at 7,529, with 242 deaths.
These results are from nearly 1.7 lakh tests conducted so far across the country. According to the ministry, 1,035 new cases and 40 deaths were reported in 24 hours till Saturday afternoon.
However, a PTI tally of numbers reported by various states as on 6.30 pm showed at least 8,016 positive coronavirus cases and 261 deaths. More than 800 people have been cured and discharged so far. (PTI)
