People Not Taking Coronavirus Lockdown Seriously, Rues PM Modi as Hundreds Break 'Janata Curfew'

New Delhi: A day after India observed 14-hour-long ‘Janta Curfew’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to point out that people are still not taking the lockdown seriously. Several videos have emerged of people taking out rallies and performing garba during the curfew on Sunday.

“Many people are still not taking the lockdown seriously. Please save yourself, save your family, follow the instructions seriously. I request the state governments to get the rules and laws followed,” the PM tweeted on Monday morning.

The Centre and state governments have decided to completely lock down 80 districts across the country where coronavirus cases have been reported. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala announced lockdown in many districts.

Delhi will be locked down from 6 am on March 23 till midnight on March 31

On Sunday, the prime minister had called the ‘Janta Curfew’ the beginning of a long battle against coronavirus outbreak, as he lauded the people for their overwhelming response to his appeal for self-restriction, saying together the countrymen can defeat any challenge.

In an earlier tweet, he had said the country thanked each person who led the fight against the coronavirus. He said that with this “resolve and patience, let’s restrict (social distancing) ourselves as part of this long battle.” The prime minister thanked elderly women of the country for expressing their gratitude to those fighting the deadly virus.

He also tagged a video which shows his mother Heeraben beating a plate in an expression of gratitude to those fighting the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has killed seven people and infected 360 in India.

In his address to the nation on Thursday, Modi had asked people to express gratitude to them by giving a five-minute standing ovation at 5 pm on Sunday by clapping hands, beating plates or ringing bells.