Kerala FM tells Centre to learn 3 lessons as he backs PM Modi's Covid lockdown extension

Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac on Tuesday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision on the extension of the lockdown till May 3. Taking to Twitter, he advised the Centre to learn three lessons from the past three weeks. According to him, for the lockdown to be effective, extensive testing is necessary for the country. He also said that income support is essential to maintain compliance, and that states would be constrained without additional resources. 

Read: Kerala HC seeks Centre's response for citizens stranded in UAE amid COVID-19 outbreak

India extends lockdown 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced the extension of the nationwide lockdown till May 3 in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus. He addressed the nation on April 14 as the ongoing pan-India lockdown entered its 21st day. In his address, the PM said that India is fighting against COVID-19 and it has been successful so far. He also said that compared to other nations, India has attempted to contain the pandemic quite efficiently.

Read: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan writes to PM Modi; seeks help for Indian diaspora stuck in UAE

COVID-19 cases in India

According to the latest update of the Union Health Ministry, there are currently about 11439* active cases of COVID-19 in the country. While 377 deaths have been reported overall, around 1306 people have been cured/discharged/migrated.

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Read: Coronavirus: Four cities account for 60% of deaths across India, 45% from Maharashtra