NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation in a short while from now to assure the country on the steps being taken by the government to battle coronavirus On Wednesday, PM chaired a high-level meeting to review the ongoing efforts to contain Covid-19 in India.In the meeting, the Prime Minister emphasised on actively engaging with individuals, local communities and organisations in chalking out mechanisms to fight the pandemic. He also urged officials and technical experts to deliberate on the steps to be taken next.Earlier today, the sources in government denied rumours that PM Modi would announce a lockdown in his address tonight.Hours before the PM's address, the government on Thursday evening announced a slew of new measures to check the spread of virus.The health ministry advised senior citizens and children below the age of 10 years to stay indoors in view of the spread of coronavirus, even as they assured the general public that there was no community transmission of the disease in the country so far.The ministry also said the department of pharmaceuticals and the ministry of consumer affairs have been asked to take necessary action against anyone charging exorbitant prices for masks, sanitizers and other health-related logistic materials."Senior citizens above 65 except for public representatives/govt servants/medical professionals should be advised to remain at home," the ministry said.On Wednesday, the Prime Minister had also expressed gratitude to all those at the forefront of combating Covid-19 including the various state governments, medical fraternity, paramedical staff, armed and paramilitary forces, those associated with the aviation sector, municipal staff and others.