Modi calls for resolve, restraint
SUNDAY SHUTDOWN PM warns against complacency, urges a ‘janata curfew’ on March 22, says enough essential stocks available INDIA CUTS ITSELF OFF No commercial international flight can land in the country any more; some states suspend public transport
NEW DELHI: In his first address to the nation after the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) globally and in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged the challenge posed by a condition for which there is no cure or vaccine yet, stressed on the importance of selfisolation and social distancing, and reassured the country that his government was taking step to protect Indians’ health as well as livelihoods.
Modi said there was no room for complacency, appealed to citizens to display commitment and called for a “people’s curfew” on Sunday, March 22, where citizens would stay home as both a symbolic message of India’s determination and a test-case to prepare for future challenges. I want a few weeks of yours, he told the nation.
The curfew, the Prime Minister added, should be supplemented with a public expression of gratitude to those staffing essential services at 5pm on that day.
The speech came on a day India announced a ban on all commercial international flights into the country from March 22, effectively cutting itself off from the world; stricter work-from-home measures; and an appeal to the elderly and children to stay home.
The PM’S address combined an appraisal of the current situation and messages of reassurance, placed the onus on citizens to play their part in battling the pandemic. While supporting the idea of the “people’s curfew”, many Opposition parties the speech for what it termed as silence on the government’s plans and strategies to deal with the crisis.
In his address, the PM also acknowledged the growing economic distress and announced that a high-level task force has been mandated to minimise distress; and appealed to employers to be sensitive to those who could not come to work. He also assured citizens of the supply of essentials, urged them to avoid “panic buying” and not get swayed by misinformation.
The PM began by addressing the scale of the crisis. “When there is a natural crisis, usually, a few countries or a few states get affected. But this time, the challenge is truly global, affecting all of humanity.
Even in the first or the second World War, not as many countries got affected as have got affected by coronavirus.” He pointed out that science had not yet found a way to deal with the pandemic; and vaccines had not been developed yet to insulate people from it. Modi also highlighted that examples from across the world showed that coronavirus cases suddenly spiked in certain countries, and given that this was happening in the developed world, to think that India would remain unaffected was inaccurate.