Call will be taken as and when situation demands: Govt official on lockdown extension

There is no assessment on the extension of lockdown in the country in view of coronavirus and a call will be taken as per situation, Director General of Press Information Bureau K S Dhatiwal said on Monday.

"A clarification has been given. There is no assessment on whether it will be extended or not. As and when the situation demands, a call will be taken," said Dhaliwal on being asked about extension of lockdown in a press conference here.

Responding to the same question, Joint Secretary of the Health Ministry Luv Aggarwal said that there is a need to take the positive results of lockdown to a sustainable level to break the chain of transmission.

"Today our effort should be how we are managing a battling with the situation. How wI will not do speculation after 21 days. We should take the positive results of lockdown to a sustainable level to break the chain of transmission," he said.

Earlier in the day, Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba dismissed reports that the countrywide COVID-19 lockdown may get extended."I am surprised to see such reports, there is no such plan of extending the lockdown," said Gauba.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a three-week nationwide lockdown, which came into effect on March 25, to curb the spread of the coronavirus.The Prime Minister later apologised for the difficulties that the poor, especially migrant workers, have been facing due to the lockdown which was announced four hours before it came into effect.