Sat 21 March 2020:
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the country of 1.3 billion people to observe a one-day “Janata (Civil) Curfew” at the weekend as he warned of looming danger from the coronavirus pandemic.
All Indians should stay at home from 7am to 9pm on Sunday, Mr Modi said in his first address to the country on the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
“People should not leave their homes or go out on streets or neighbourhoods,” the prime minister said during a 29-minute televised speech on Thursday evening. “The self-imposed curfew attempt will be a strong symbol to show self-restraint.”
India had recorded 223 cases and five deaths from the virus by Friday. The first case was detected in January. Worldwide the virus has killed more than 10,000 people since the outbreak was detected in China’s Wuhan city in early January.
Modi urged people to show patience and restraint in the face of the health threat, saying it endangered all of humanity and affected more nations than the two world wars.
India is not insulated from the outbreak, he said, and citing patterns seen in other countries that witnessed a sudden “explosion” in the number of coronavirus cases after a slow start.
“It will be wrong to assume that India will not be impacted at a time when several developed countries have been impacted,” Mr Modi said.
He said there was no definite scientific solution or vaccine to counter the virus and urged people to prevent its spread through proper hygiene, self-isolation and restraint.
“If we think ‘I won’t be infected’, you are wrong,” he said.
Modi also asked people to refrain from “panic buying” and hoarding, saying the government was taking steps to ensure the supply of food, medicines and essentials.
The prime minister’s speech came hours after New Delhi cancelled all international passenger flight arrivals for a week. India earlier cancelled all tourist visas and banned flights from the EU, Turkey and other affected areas to control the spread of Covid-19 in the country.
Among other steps announced on Thursday were plans to allow federal government employees to work from home on alternating weeks.
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