Prime Minister Narendra Modi told leaders of opposition and other parties in Parliament that the nationwide lockdown will not be revoked in one go on April 14, according to BJD’s Pinaki Misra.
Narendra Modi’s comments came during a meeting with the leaders in a bid to discuss the situation occurring due the COVID-19 pandemic and the centre’s efforts to contain the fast-spreading virus in the country.
“Prime Minister Modi made it clear that lockdown is not being lifted and also that the life pre-corona and post-corona will not be same,” Biju Janata Dal leader Pinaki Misra told PTI.
Another leader, who was a part of the meeting but did not wish to be named, said the Prime Minister told them that he will also be consulting chief ministers.
Several leaders namely Ghulam Nabi Azad, leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, and Nationalist Congress Party head Sharad Pawar attended the meeting.
Sources revealed that these leaders were briefed by secretaries of various ministries from health, home and rural development department pertaining to the actions taken by the government to tackle COVID-19 and mitigate the hardships arising out of the lockdown.
Several opposition leaders raised the issue of shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health workers in the country while few also suggested that construction of the new parliament building should be avoided, a source said.
The meet comes amidst indications that the Central government may extend the lockdown across the country beyond April 14 after several states have favoured the extension to contain the fast-spreading virus, as the positive cases in the country show no signs of any let up.
As per the Union health ministry’s morning update, there are 149 deaths and 5,194 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country even as the country entered its third week of nationwide lockdown.
