Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a “complete” lockdown of India.
Modi said the lockdown would start at midnight local time, would last for a minimum of 21 days, and would apply to all of India’s 36 states and territories.”You have seen the worldwide situations arising from the coronavirus pandemic in the news. You have also seen how the most powerful nations have become helpless in the face of this pandemic,” Modi said in a live televised address to the nation on Tuesday evening ahead of the deadline.
The order marks one of the biggest lockdowns too date, with India having the world’s second-largest population. Much like America, essential workers are still allowed to go to work. However, all shops, commercial establishments, factories, workshops, offices, markets, and places of worship will be closed, and interstate buses and metros will be suspended. Construction activity will also be on a halt during this period. As for the financial impact that this might have on their economy Modi, on Tuesday, pointed out countermeasures that are in place to prevent this. Deadlines to file tax returns have been extended by three months, charges on minimum bank balances have been waived, and no fees will be charged for using other banks’ ATMs.The threshold for invoking insolvency has been raised to $131,000 from $1,300.
On the other hand, China announced that it was lifting its lockdown on the province of Hubei, where the coronavirus pandemic began. Allowing its 60 million residents to leave, ending nearly two months of lockdown.
With America also going under lockdown, it almost feels surreal that almost the whole world is closing down. With that said, China’s lift on Hubei at least gives hope that the lockdown will soon end.