india

Updated: Apr 03, 2020 06:30 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who announced the 21-day national lockdown in a late evening televised address to the nation on March 24, on Thursday said that he would share a video message with “fellow Indians” tomorrow morning.

“At 9 AM tomorrow morning, I’ll share a small video message with my fellow Indians,” PM Modi tweeted on Thursday soon after he spoke with chief ministers via video conference.

Friday will be the 10th day of the lockdown that has brought the economy to a grinding halt. The government had ordered all industrial units, offices and educational institutions to be shut for 21 days and told people to stay indoors to minimise the number of coronavirus cases in the country.

India has reported just a little over 2,000 coronavirus cases and 50 deaths.

In his interaction with chief ministers earlier in the day, PM Modi had underlined that the country’s common goal was to ensure minimum loss of life and asked chief ministers for suggestions how the government could stagger relaxations so that people do not come out on the streets at the same time.

He, however, cautioned states that they needed to keep the supply chain moving to ensure supply of essential medical products and raw material for medicines and medical equipment.

Home Minister Amit Shah, who also spoke at this conference, had emphasised to the chief ministers the necessity of ensuring the lockdown is complete, a point that PM Modi had also underlined when he spoke about the deadly disease in his monthly radio programme Mann ki Baat.