Telangana, Maharashtra Join 2 Other States In Extending Lockdown To April 30

Coronavirus Lockdown Telangana becomes fourth state to extend lockdown

Four states - Telangana, Maharashtra, Punjab and Odisha - have extended the coronavirus lockdown, currently in effect across the country, in their respective territories till April 30. The 21-day lockdown imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month to halt the spread of the infectious virus, is scheduled to end on Tuesday.

Earlier today the Prime Minister held a video call with 13 chief ministers to decide on extending the clampdown - a request made by several state leaders in recent days.

At the end of the four-hour meeting PM Modi indicated the lockdown will be extended by two weeks, although an official announcement has to be made. He did, however, say the centre would change its lockdown tactics, after several states pointed out the current scenario was damaging the economy.

Of the four states to announce an extension of the lockdown before the centre, Telangana and Maharashtra did so today. Punjab announced it on Friday and Odisha, the first to do so, did it on Thursday.

All states (and Bengal too, although Mamata Banerjee has yet to decide on extending the lockdown there) have highlighted the need to ease restrictions on farmers with harvesting season rapidly approaching.

"We have 40 lakh acres of paddy and a bumper crop of 14 lakh acres of maize. This should have been a record and a celebration, but we're not doing that because of coronavirus," Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, or KCR, told reporters on Saturday.

Hours before KCR's comment, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said "after April 14, whatever we will do will be according to a plan", and added that farming activities across the state would be allowed to continue.

On Friday Punjab's Amarinder Singh said that post-April 14 he would lift restrictions on farmers to help them harvest crops. The state is expecting a bumper wheat crop of around 185 lakh tonnes and it is necessary to ensure adequate harvest arrangements, he said.

All four states to extend lockdown - Punjab, Telangana, Maharashtra and Odisha - have said agriculture and related activities will be allowed to function

While announcing the extension Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said "life will not be the same ever". He too green-lit agriculture and animal husbandry-related activities, albeit with stress on social distancing.

Odisha is also one of a few places in the country to have made face masks compulsory when stepping out of the home. The others are Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Nagaland.

Meanwhile, all states have also pressed the centre to provide financial relief in this time of crisis. The centre has announced plans to set up a five-year fully-funded COVID-19 package worth Rs 15,000 crore to boost health infrastructure, but this will be rolled out in three phases.

The Prime Minister, faced with recommendations from state leaders, suggested specific measures for agriculture and allied sectors, including modification of laws to facilitate sale of farm produce; this will help vegetables reach end consumers quicker and ensure people stay indoors.

The centre will also issue directions to restart the construction industry in a graded manner, sources said, adding that Union Ministers had been directed to return to work in their offices from Monday.

Across India over 7,500 cases have been reported and 242 people have died. Maharashtra has reported the maximum number (1,574 cases, 110 deaths). Telangana has 504 cases and nine deaths, Punjab has 132 cases and 11 deaths, and Odisha has 48 cases and one death.