Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be addressing the nation at 8pm on Thursday with regards to the coronavirus situation in the country. He had chaired a high-level meeting to review the ongoing efforts to contain COVID-19 on Wednesday evening.
Rumours suggesting that the PM will impose a nation-wide lockdown to counter the spread of the virus are doing the rounds on social media, particularly on WhatsApp. The viral message states that Section 144 will be imposed in the entire country and only essential services will be allowed to run. The message also states that the lockdowns will be imposed in phases in order to prevent spikes in cases, comparing it to the situation that happened during the 1918 Spanish Flu.
The 1918 Spanish Flu was one of the worst-hit pandemic in recorded history, and it claimed an estimated 17 and 50 million lives.
There has been, however, no confirmation on whether the message is true or not.
Meanwhile, incoming international flights have been banned from landing in India. Apart from that, the government has directed states to implement work from home for most employees.
