Will coronavirus lockdown be extended? CMs' take after meeting with PM Modi

Will the coronavirus lockdown be extended in the national capital? The Delhi government will follow the Centre's guidelines, officials said on Monday.

This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video conference with chief ministers to discuss the situation arising out of the coronavirus outbreak and measures to deal with it.

"We are preparing our submission which will be sent to the Centre soon," a senior government official said.

The official said nine chief ministers spoke during the meeting with the prime minister in which they discussed a range of issues, including the possibility of extending of the lockdown, amid the rising number of coronavirus cases.

In West Bengal, restrictions enforced to fight Covid-19 will continue till May 21 with curbs on normal life varying in intensity based on the extent of spread of the viral infection in a particular area, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

"We want the restrictions to continue till May 21. We have to be careful till that time," Banerjee told media persons at the state secretariat Nabanna.

The Chief Minister, however, clarified that she was not announcing any extension on lockdown, as that decision will be taken by the central government.

"I am talking of restrictions, which is different from the lockdown," she added.

Banerjee said while the restrictions would be strictly implemented in every red zone (areas with large number of corona positive cases), the impact will be less severe in orange zones (areas with a limited number of cases in the past and with no surge in positive cases recently, where restricted activities would be allowed).

In the meeting, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot forwarded a 15-point suggestion, including a grant of Rs 1 trillion to states, to PM Modi to cope with the crisis.

In the video conference, the prime minister hailed the Rajasthan chief minister for his initiatives to combat the deadly virus, a statement issued by the government said.

In his 15-point suggestion, Gehlot reiterated his demand of grant of Rs 1 trillion to the states, saying their revenue collections have drastically come down due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant also recommended that the lockdown in the coastal state should be extended beyond May 3.

He also emphasised that Goa borders will remain sealed and that no mode of public transport should be allowed between states.

"We recommend that lockdown should be extended after May 3. No mode of public transport should be allowed between States," Sawant said after participating in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video conference with chief ministers.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh readied itself for a longer haul under lockdown beyond May 3 as 75 more people tested positive in the last 24 hours, 31 of them in Indore. The state's coronavirus tally touched 2,165 on Monday.

Seven more patients succumbed to Covid-19 till Monday evening taking the death toll in the state to 110. Of these, three deaths were reported in Indore, three in Bhopal and one in Mandsaur, officials said. Indore alone accounts for 60 deaths.

Indore recorded 31 new cases, followed by Bhopal and Ujjain at 13 each, Jabalpur at 10, five at Raisen and one each at Hoshangabad and Dewas.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan directed the officials to prepare proposals for corona treatment, preparations for conducting economic activities as per the Centre's instructions after May 3.

On Monday, Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo said PM Modi has informed that a spike in Covid-19 cases could happen in June and July. So all the activities must be done accordingly.

"Prime Minister Modi did not say about the lifting of lockdown. He said we should focus on what needs to be followed during the lockdown in green, orange and red zones. He said that the situation is in control now but a spike in Covid-19 cases could happen in June and July. So all the activities must be done accordingly," Deo told ANI.

Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga also said the state government will follow whatever decisions the Centre takes regarding the situation emerging in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to officials.

Zoramthanga informed Modi that the state government, churches, NGOs and the general public are making collective efforts to contain the spread of the deadly virus in the state.

He said that villagers are volunteering themselves to guard their villages and borders to check the movement of people.