Total COVID-19 cases in India rise to 11,439 as country enters lockdown 2.0

As per the government update, 1,306 people of 11,439 have been cured while 377 others have died in Coronavirus.

According to John Hopkins University & Medicine, 11,487 people have been infected with the contagion.

Amid the plight of the migrant workers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended the lockdown, which was due to end on Apr 14 midnight, till May 3 to stem the spread of the pandemic virus but urged people to strictly follow the norms of social distancing for the next one week to avail some relaxations.

"There should be no letup in the implementation of lockdown. All regions in the states will be monitored very closely on full compliance of the lockdown. Only those regions that will show no evidence of cases or its spread will be allowed restricted movements after Apr 20," said Modi during his morning address to the nation.

Likewise all passenger trains, metros as well as flights will remain shut till May 3. 

Meanwhile, the Centre on Wednesday issued revised guidelines which will be followed by 1.3 billion people till May 3.

According to the guidelines, travel by air, rail and road, operation of educational and training institutions, industrial and commercial activities, hospitality services, cinema halls and shopping complexes will remain closed during the period.

The government statement said all social, political or other events as well religious places will also remain shut.

The government has also made the use of homemade face covers at workplace and public places mandatory. 

Migrant workers protest at Bandra station

Thousands of migrant workers assembled at Bandra station in Mumbai on Tuesday to protest against the Prime Minister's extension of the lockdown which was initially called for 21 days.

At a time huge gathering is banned across the country, police were left with no other choice but to lathicharge the workers to disperse them.

Later Union Home Minister Amit Shah called Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and expressed concern besides extending full support to handle the situation.

Shah told his former political ally Thackeray that such events weaken India's fight against Coronavirus and the administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid these. 

Modi faces Opposition's ire over plight of poor

Drawing criticism from the opposition political parties, Modi during his address on Tuesday once again stayed away from formulating any fresh strategy to reduce the plight of migrant workers and daily wagers but acknowledged the suffering of the poor.

The Centre had earlier announced a mega stimulus package of Rs. 1,70,000 crore to uplift the poor but videos of desperate migrant workers trying to reach home by walking hundreds of kilometers across the state borders mirrored the humanitarian crisis caused by the lockdown.

Though several people, including migrant workers who set on foot for home, had reportedly died owing to the lockdown, Modi on Tuesday once again reassured that the country has "sufficient stock of food items".

Congress, the country's oldest and main opposition political party, has supported the decision to extend the lockdown but also hit out at the government for not giving any further relief measures to the poor.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, who is a former Union Finance Minister and a critic of the Modi government, tweeted after the Prime Minister's address to say, "We reciprocate the PM’s New Year greetings. We understand the compulsion for extending the lockdown. We support the decision."

But he also added in the next few tweets, "CMs’ demand for money elicited no response. Not a rupee has been added to the miserly package of March 25, 2020. From Raghuram Rajan to Jean Dreze, from Prabhat Patnaik to Abhijit Banerji, their advice has fallen on deaf years."

(Images: UNI, BJP Twitter)