Coronavirus: WHO welcomes India's decision on lockdown extension

The WHO on Tuesday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi''s announcement on the extension of the nationwide lockdown till May 3 due to coronavirus scare. Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director for South-East Asia of the World Health Organization, said that a six-week nationwide lockdown to facilitate effective physical distancing, coupled with expansion of core public health measures, will benefit India in combating the novel coronavirus.

"The WHO commends India's timely and tough actions to stop COVID-19. It may be early to talk about the results in numbers. About a six-week nationwide lockdown to facilitate effective physical distancing, coupled with expansion of core public health measures such as detection, isolation and tracing contact of COVID-19 positive people would go a long way in arresting the virus spread," said Dr Khetrapal in a statement. The total number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in India climbed to 10,363, with 1,211 new cases and 31 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the data of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday.