COVID-19: Prasar Bharati CEO dismisses speculations of PM announcing 'lockdown' in today's address to nation

Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar on Thursday dismissed media speculations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will announce a lockdown in view of coronavirus outbreak during his address to the nation at 8 pm.

Shekhar called the speculations "incorrect", stating that it will create unnecessary panic in the minds of people.

"Some media outlets are speculating that PM Modi will announce a lockdown in his address. This information is incorrect. It will also create unnecessary panic in minds of people, which is the last thing we need in times like this," he tweeted.

The Prime Minister is expected to talk about issues relating to COVID-19 on Thursday at 8 pm and the efforts to combat the pandemic.

Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said it would be disappointed if the government did not announce a total lockdown for a period of 2-4 weeks."What will the Prime Minister announce at 8 pm today? I will be disappointed if the PM did not announce a total lockdown, at least of all towns and cities, for a period of 2-4 weeks," Chidambaram tweeted.He asserted that "anything less will be letting down this country."On Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review the ongoing efforts to contain COVID-19 in India. So far, a total of 169 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the country. Three persons have died from the disease.