World War I, II Didn’t Affect As Many Countries As Covid-19: PM Modi On Coronavirus Outbreak

The Prime Minister made a fervent appeal to all Indians to stay indoors as much as possible to avoid getting infected by Coronavirus, saying the world has never seen a danger as grave as this.

PM Modi also said that social distancing extremely important and effective in reducing impact of coronavirus. (Image: PTI)

New Delhi: In his address to nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the Coronavirus outbreak a serious matter of concern for India and the rest of the world. "Even World War I and II did not affect as many countries as coronavirus has done," Modi said in a national broadcast. The Prime Minister made a fervent appeal to all Indians to stay indoors as much as possible to avoid getting infected by Coronavirus, saying the world has never seen a danger as grave as this. He also called for 'Janta curfew' on March 22 from 7 am-9 pm, saying no citizen, barring those in essential services, should get out of house. "This is public curfew. Janata curfew means for the public, curfew imposed on public by themselves," PM Modi said. ALSO WATCH | PM Narendra Modi Calls For Janata Curfew On March 22 from 7 AM To 9 PM He urged people to follow this 'curfew', not go out on the streets or even gather in their societies and stay inside their homes. The Prime Minister further urged people above the age of 60 should avoid going out in the coming weeks. Sharing an instance from the past, he said: "Might be the present generation is not aware... when there were a situation of war, and villages were blacked out and the glass of the windows was darkened. People use to take precautions and even in case the there was no war, the local administration carried out a drill regularly."

For the last few days, it looks like if we are safe from #Coronavirus. This belief is not right. Hence, it is very important for every Indian to remain aware and alert: PM #NarendraModi on #CoronavirusOutbreak

WATCH LIVE | https://t.co/PQbT45sMtv pic.twitter.com/w4UCAqhBQR — ABP News (@ABPNews) March 19, 2020

Asking people to sacrifice "some weeks of yours, some time of yours", Modi said given that coronavirus has no cure yet, the only way to stay safe is to stay indoors. "I request all people in country to get out of house only when it is extremely necessary, try and do all work from home," he said. PM Modi also said that to deal with Coronavirus, no definite solution has been found, nor has any vaccine produced. "Resolve and patience are key in combating coronavirus," he added. The Prime Minister also urged the people to follow the instructions issued by the Central and State governments. ALSO WATCH | PM Modi's Address To nation: Panel Of Experts Discuss The Possibilities Meanwhile, government of India, earlier in the day, announced that no international commercial flight will be allowed to disembark its passengers, foreigners or Indians, on Indian soil after 1.30 am on March 23 on the backdrop of Coronavirus outbreak in the country. The regulator's circular came after the Centre issued a statement that no international flight would be allowed to land in India from March 22 onward for a period of one week.