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This will be Prime Minister Modi’s fifth meeting with chief ministers on the closure strategy.
Although Covid-19 cases are doubling at a faster rate today, the general sentiment in government appears to be toward further relaxation.
- News18.com New Delhi
- Last update: May 11, 2020, 12:51 a.m. IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with the chief ministers on Monday to discuss the next stage in the exit from the national closure imposed to contain a new coronavirus outbreak and various issues that comprise the economy, officials said Sunday.
The Prime Minister’s Office turned to Twitter to share the information that it would hold the meeting by videoconference at 3 in the afternoon. This will be their fifth meeting with the CMs to discuss the post-closure strategy.
Although Covid-19 cases are doubling at a faster rate today, the general sentiment in government appears to be toward further relaxation so that the country can move towards gradual unlocking.
Sources said the focus of the meeting will be to further increase economic activities and address the pandemic in the containment areas, as the current closure will end on May 17.
According to data from the health ministry, positive cases increased from 39,980 on May 3 to 62,939 on Sunday and the number of deaths increased during the week from 1,301 to 2,109.
The growth in the cases has been linear and not exponential due to the blockade, but the concern for the government remains that the restrictions have not managed to flatten the curve, unlike other countries where blockades were imposed.
According to sources familiar with the matter, there will definitely be more concessions in terms of what is allowed after May 17, but there are likely to be no changes to Covid-19’s hotspots and containment zones.
The announcement of the meeting comes after Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba chaired a meeting with the top secretaries and health secretaries from all states and territories of the Union (UT) to review their management status of Covid-19 .
At the meeting, the top secretaries briefed Gauba on the situation in their states and also said that while protection from the virus is required, economic activities should also be intensified in a calibrated manner.
The blockade, imposed on March 25, was originally supposed to end on April 14. It was extended until May 3 and then again until May 17, although there have been many more relaxations with the extensions.
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