In the last video conference, held on April 11, at least 13 chief ministers asked for an extension of the lockdown.
New Delhi, April 22:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi would hold a video conference with state chief ministers — his third since the lockdown started — to discuss the coronavirus situation. Sources said this would be a review meeting that’s coming after the lockdown was extended on April 14. The video-conference will begin at 10 am on Monday, sources said.
The video-conference on April 2 – the first since the lockdown started – was devoted to the discussion on an exit strategy once the lockdown ends. The nine Chief Ministers who attended were asked to “work on war footing, identify virus hotspots and encircle them” to contain the infection.
In the last videoconference, held on April 11, at least 13 chief ministers asked for an extension of the lockdown. In the four-hour video meet, the Prime Minister had also taken feedback from the chief ministers on whether the three-week lockdown should end.
Tomorrow’s discussion comes days after partial relief from the lockdown granted to certain sectors, ensuring that agricultural activities, manufacturing, logistics and e-commerce can start with minimal impact on the fight against coronavirus.
While announcing the extension of the lockdown on April 14, the Prime Minister had also asked the states to focus exclusively on implementing it for the next seven days.
Based on the observation, central teams were sent to five states, including Bengal, to take stock of the violations.
The number of coronavirus cases in the country stands at 20,471 of whom 3,960 patients have recovered. More than 650 patients have died.
