Centre mulls longer lockdown

Following requests from several state governments and experts, the Centre is considering extending the nationwide lockdown after its ends on April 14 in order to stem the transmission of COVID-19, government sources said. “A lot of state governments as well as experts are requesting the Central Government to extend the lockdown. The Central Government is thinking in this direction,” sources said. At least seven states, which together have reported 1,367 coronavirus cases—almost one-third of the total cases in India—had indicated that they would continue to have some restrictions in place even after the 21-day lockdown ends on April 14. As per the latest update from the Health Ministry, the number of cases in the country has climbed to 4,421, including 117 deaths.