BS Yediyurappa urges people to follow guidelines strictly amid 21-day nationwide lockdown

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday appealed to people to strictly follow the restrictions in the state, saying that the ending of 21-day nationwide lockdown imposed to contain COVID-19 depends on how the public adheres to the rules. In a press statement, Yediyurappa appealed to the people to help the government to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus by stringently following the lockdown.

"People of Karnataka are known for tolerance and patience. They are law-abiding citizens. Now, the lockdown in wake of Coronavirus is a testing time for them. It has come to test the patience of our people, especially the people of Karnataka. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has apologised and said that lockdown was an inevitable step taken by the government to protect people from the pandemic. We have to realise the predicament of a prime minister who always cares for the well being of the country and its people," the statement quoted Yediyurappa as saying.

"At this hour of crisis, it is not good on our part to come out of houses and violate the curfew. The ending of lockdown depends on strictness with which one follows the curfew and maintain social distancing. If one follows the curfew strictly, the lockdown period will automatically end on April 14. Whether to end the lockdown or not is in your hands," he said.

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Meanwhile, Health Ministry's joint secretary Lav Aggarwal on Monday said that India has reported 92 fresh cases of the novel Coronavirus and four deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 1071 and the number of deaths to 29, the Union Health Ministry added.

Aggarwal claimed that as per their analysis, the rate in the rise of new positive cases in a "developing country" like India is slower than that of other "developed countries" due to "public cooperation and (the government's) pre-emptive actions". The underlying reference was clearly to Western countries like the United States, Spain, and Italy which have become the new hotspots of the Coronavirus pandemic and whose health system has been overwhelmed.

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