Coronavirus Update: Lockdown Extended Till May 3

The battle against the pandemic continues to be a drawn out affair

India has been under lockdown to try and stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus since March 24. It was originally supposed to last for 21 days and end on April 15. However, as the crisis continues and the official number of active cases in India standing at around 9,000, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared that the lockdown will be extended until May 3. Here are the key details:

• As per the latest announcement from the Prime Minister, the nationwide lockdown has been extended to May 3 as the number of coronavirus patients has increased and the spread of the disease remains uncertain.

• However, the new announcement included a provision for certain essential activities to be opened from April 20. This applies to areas that are not considered to be hotspots or potential hotspots for the COVID-19 disease.

Also read: Good News Roundup: The Fight Against Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vol. 2

• Till April 20, all levels of administration including state, district and town, and their police stations will be evaluated on their abilities to ensure that the lockdown rules are being followed.

• As per the results observed until April 20, areas will be identified as hotspots, potential hotspots and those that are neither.

• The permission to resume essential activities in such areas will continue to be conditional and can be withdrawn if lockdown measures are breached and spread of coronavirus risked.

• To reiterate one of the earliest precautions during the lockdown, the Prime Minister also requested all citizens to cover one’s face for added protection from the possibility of infection. On top of that, he suggested the use of the Aarogya Setu mobile app developed by the government. It uses 24x7 location tracking with Bluetooth and GPS to alert users if they might have come in close proximity of someone who has tested postive for COVID-19 and offer other information as well.

• The Prime Minister also shared that India now has more than 220 functional testing labs to check for COVID-19 and more than 600 hospitals dedicated for the treatment of coronavirus patients.

Related: Coronavirus Testing Begins At India’s First Drive-Through Lab In Delhi

The economic concerns from the extended lockdown, especially on the auto industry, will also be discussed in a follow up article on CarDekho, so stay tuned.

Also read: Here’s A Look At The Car Launches Delayed Due To The Coronavirus Outbreak