Will lockdown period in India be extended beyond 14th April 2020

This is the question agitating almost all the minds of 1.3 billion People in our country now. “Will Lockdown period in India be extended ?” The reports published in Print media suggested that there may be extension of Lockdown period beyond 14th April 2020.

Since there is no sign of flattening the curve in the graph of COVID 19 positive cases in our country, uncertainty prevails over lifting Lockdown after 14th April 2020. All the Central State Government Offices other than essential service runs with skeletal staffs are waiting for Government decision to start preparation to resume their work after 14th April 2020.

It is reported that during the interactions of our Prime Minister with CMs of States and Leaders of opposition parties, some states requested to extend the lockdown beyond 14th April 2020 for few weeks. It seems that the decision on this issue will be taken tomorrow on 11th April 2020.

Some of the established print media hinted that there may be extension of lock down period in India beyond 14th April for the containment Zone and lockdown with relaxed conditions in the areas which are not come under containment zone.

The following news items may answer to the question of Will lockdown period in India be extended beyond 14th April 2020 ?

Flight operations, Railways and inter-state bus services are likely to remain suspended even after 14 April

Flight operations, Railways and inter-state bus services are likely to remain suspended even after 14 April, when the nationwide lockdown is expected to end, ThePrint has learnt.

The move was discussed at a meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Covid-19 Tuesday, where Amit Shah and Nirmala Sitharaman, among others, were present. The GoM, headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, was held to review the situation and steps taken across the country to fight the virus. Read More at The Print

It will not be possible to lift the lockdown in one go, says Narendra Modi.

At a videoconferencing on Wednesday with parties’ floor leaders in Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it won’t be possible to lift the 21-day nationwide lockdown in one go as scheduled on April 14. He, however, noted that he would consult the Chief Ministers before deciding the exit strategy.

Speaking briefly at the end of a nearly three-and-a-half hour meeting, Mr. Modi pointed out that the country was going through a “social emergency”.Read More at The Hindu

Odisha becomes the first state to extend Covid-19 lockdown beyond April 14.

The covid-19 lockdown in Odisha will be extended till April 30, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced today. The decision for the extension of the lockdown was announced after the state cabinet meeting through video conference. Odisha is the first state to extend the lockdown ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video conference to discuss the lockdown extension.Read More at Livemint

Why the nationwide lockdown may not end on April 14.

Even as the country is putting up a united fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic, reports suggest that the 21-day lockdown declared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contain the deadly virus is unlikely to end on April 14.

Though the government had earlier asserted that it had no plans to extend the lockdown period, the fresh scenario emerged after the Tablighi Jamaat congregation fiasco had made the situation much more complicated.Read more at The Week

Coronavirus: Will Modi govt lift lockdown on April 14?

Two of the lockdown weeks are over and there is little over one more to go. As cases of infection and areas impacted expand, the questions on over a billion Indian minds are- will the Modi government lift the lockdown or will it find a staggered exit? And, will the government address the economic distress it has caused?

The indication from the government is that post-April 14, there is going to be no blanket lifting of the lockdown. The discussion agendas on the table are all built around a staggered exit with a timeline that is yet to be drawn.

A senior minister in the government speaking to India Today TV indicated that the government is looking at the idea of a “rational lockdown” which involves a micro-managed staggered exit formula. Read more at India today

People should be informed at the earliest that whether the Lockdown Period in India will be extended or not, so that they will be able to prepare themselves for any eventualities.

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