Wearing a mask, PM Modi discusses lockdown extension with CMs

New Delhi: Prime minister Narendra Modi began his video conference with chief ministers this morning, primarily to take their feedback on whether the coronavirus lockdown should be extended beyond April 14.

The drift of thinking among state administrations clearly favours an extension. This is more pronounced in states that are witnessing an eruption of Covid-19 positive cases, such as Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.

Punjab and Odisha have already declared themselves, extending the lockdown beyond April 14.

Business oriented stakeholder sections have been murmuring on Twitter about a phased opening up, allowing some sectors of the economy to resume cautious functioning.

In his new consultative avatar, Narendra Modi’s administration has consulted the relevant agencies and stakeholders involved in the efforts to contain the pandemic.

The Union Home Ministry has sought the views of state governments on various aspects, including whether more categories of people and services need to be exempted. In the current lockdown only essential services are exempted.

This is for the second time the prime minister is interacting with chief ministers via video link since the lockdown was imposed was on March 25.

Since then, India has careened up the exponential curve. On March 25, there were 657 cases coronavirus infection. That figure stood at 7600 as the chief minister logged into the videocon with the prime minister.

Deaths too have risen by a factor of 10. There had been merely 11 on March 25 and now stand at 252. If that’s a frightening growth, experts say it’s only just begun with at least two more weeks to endure before India emerges at the peak of this pandemic.