Coronavirus: States extend lockdown deadline amid spike in fresh cases

NEW DELHI : Several state governments went ahead with plans to extend the nationwide lockdown even as they prepared to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday for a review of measures to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak that saw its single largest spike in infections on Friday. The number of hotspots, or infection clusters, has swollen to 284 across the country, sparking a containment strategy through strict enforcement of restrictions on movement in these areas. The Union home ministry on Friday directed all states to tighten lockdown measures, with several areas in the country being sealed as containment zones. “The MHA has directed all states and Union territories to ensure strict compliance of lockdown measures to fight covid-19, and not allow any social or religious gathering or procession," the ministry said. Punjab joined Odisha on Friday to extend the lockdown till 30 April, while Kerala and Maharashtra are likely to follow suit for at least some parts. A drone is used to spray disinfectant in Delhi’s Majnu Ka Tila area amid a surge in covid-19 cases in the national capital. We are deploying extensive police force in the containment zones and nearly 400 teams of two people each are conducting door-to-door surveys, so we can admit patients and quarantine suspected cases in time," Gaikwad added. Despite a plateauing of infection rates, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan is expected to support an extension in Saturday’s meeting. This week, a Kerala task force report submitted to the Union government said the time is not ripe for a full withdrawal of the lockdown. The Delhi government is also monitoring the situation, but the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is likely to take a decision on an extension only after the meeting with Modi.