Government Fact-Checks Report On PM, COVID-19 Task Force, And Lockdown

Coronavirus Lockdown: Prime Minister Modi has extended the lockdown to May 3

The government has dismissed a media report claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not consult a 21-member "scientific COVID-19 task force" before extending the national lockdown on Tuesday. In a tweet posted by the Press Information Bureau this afternoon, the government referred to a tweet by the ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research, the centre's nodal body in dealing with the virus outbreak) and said: "Reality: All decisions were taken after consulting the taskforce".

"Claim: A news magazine has claimed that PM Narendra Modi did not consult the 21-member scientific COVID-19 task force before extending the lockdown. Reality: All decisions were taken after consulting the task force," the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of the government said today.

Minutes earlier the ICMR had tweeted: "There is a media report which makes false claims about the COVID-19 task force. The fact is that the task force met 14 times in the last month and all decisions taken involve (all) the members of the task force. Please avoid such conjectures".

#PIBFactCheck
Claim : A news magazine has claimed that PM @narendramodi did not consult the 21-member scientific #COVID task force before extending the lockdown

Reality : All decisions were taken after consulting the task force. Here are the facts :https://t.co/dIBH0I24g9

— PIB India ???????? #StayHome #StaySafe (@PIB_India) April 15, 2020

This morning government sources told NDTV that the "total lockdown" ordered by PM Modi was based on "consultation, constant calibration and co-operative federalism". The sources said he repeatedly met various sections of the society to estimate and plan for their needs during the lockdown.

The sources also said that the entire lockdown model, which the government has called "the world's largest smart lockdown model", took around 10 days to plan and included "long meetings with the empowered groups, going into the nitty-gritty of every point".

Last month 11 "empowered groups" were set up, under the Disaster Management Act, to help the Prime Minister and his government form a comprehensive and integrated response to the coronavirus outbreak. A "strategic task force" was also set up in order to deal with the aftermath of the virus.

"These groups are empowered to identify problem areas and provide effective solutions, delineate policy, formulate plans, strategise operations, and take all necessary steps for effective and time-bound implementation of these plans," a communique from the health ministry read.

Coronavirus Lockdown Extended: Prime Minister Modi has extended the COVID-19 lockdown to May 3

On Tuesday the Prime Minister, in his fourth address to the nation since the novel coronavirus outbreak began, said the lockdown will be extended by two weeks to May 3.

The Prime Minister also said restrictions for least affected areas and essential economic sectors could be reviewed after April 20; this decision was in line with requests made by several chief ministers during a four-hour video conference with the Prime Minister last week.

In line with the PM's comment, the government today released guidelines on the phased re-opening of industries and offices, among other public spaces, post April 20.

The novel coronavirus, so named because it is a virus not previously identified in humans, has infected nearly 10,000 people in the country and over 19.8 lakh worldwide. In India 377 people have been killed and 1.26 lives have been lost across the world.