Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the country of 1.3 billion people to observe a one-day "Janata (Civil) Curfew" at the weekend as he warned of looming danger from the coronavirus pandemic.
All Indians should stay at home from 7am to 9pm on Sunday, Mr Modi said in his first address to the country on the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
"People should not leave their homes or go out on streets or neighbourhoods," the prime minister said during a 29-minute televised speech on Thursday evening. "The self-imposed curfew attempt will be a strong symbol to show self-restraint."
India had recorded 223 cases and five deaths from the virus by Friday. The first case was detected in January. Worldwide the virus has killed more than 10,000 people since the outbreak was detected in China's Wuhan city in early January.
-
People walk through an empty shopping mall in the central business district of Sydney as people begin to stay at home due to fears over the coronavirus. AFP -
A woman walks across the near empty Charles Bridge in Prague, Czech Republic. AP Photo -
People wear protective face masks following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease as they try to watch the Olympic cauldron during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic's Flame of Recovery tour in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, Japan. Reuters -
A woman holds her scarf in front of her mouth in an almost deserted suburban train in Berlin. AP -
A Malian researcher conducts a coronavirus test, in the laboratory of the "Point G" hospital in Bamako. AFP -
Kashmiri men wearing protective masks walk past closed shops as restrictions continued on the movement of people in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir. AP Photo -
Shoppers queue to enter a Sainsbury's supermarket in West London. Reuters -
A Muslim man prays at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia. AP Photo -
A Kashmiri cyclist rides through a closed market. AP Photo -
A woman stands in an elevator with markers on the floor for social distancing measures in a shopping mall in Bangkok. AFP -
A woman walks on a deserted platform of the underground station Zoologischer Garten in Berlin Friday morning. AP -
Indonesian Muslims wear masks as they queue to attend Friday Prayers. EPA -
A commuter wearing a protective mask exits a metro station in Bangkok, Thailand. EPA -
Most of the exterior building lights at Bellagio Resort & Casino, shown to the left of Caesars Palace, are turned off as parts of the Las Vegas Strip go dark as a result of the statewide shutdown due to the coronavirus. Getty Images -
South Korean police officers wearing face masks move as they guard near the U.S. embassy in Seoul, South Korea. AP Photo -
A health worker wearing a protective suit and face mask amid concerns of the spread of the coronavirus walks inside a quarantine area in Thanh Tri district in the suburbs of Hanoi. AFP -
A man is seen reading a temporary closure sign on the box office window of the Palace Verona Cinema, Paddington in Sydney. Getty Images
Mr Modi urged people to show patience and restraint in the face of the health threat, saying it endangered all of humanity and affected more nations than the two world wars.
India is not insulated from the outbreak, he said, and citing patterns seen in other countries that witnessed a sudden “explosion” in the number of coronavirus cases after a slow start.
“It will be wrong to assume that India will not be impacted at a time when several developed countries have been impacted," Mr Modi said.
He said there was no definite scientific solution or vaccine to counter the virus and urged people to prevent its spread through proper hygiene, self-isolation and restraint.
"If we think 'I won't be infected', you are wrong," he said.
Mr Modi also asked people to refrain from “panic buying” and hoarding, saying the government was taking steps to ensure the supply of food, medicines and essentials.
The prime minister's speech came hours after New Delhi cancelled all international passenger flight arrivals for a week. India earlier cancelled all tourist visas and banned flights from the EU, Turkey and other affected areas to control the spread of Covid-19 in the country.
Among other steps announced on Thursday were plans to allow federal government employees to work from home on alternating weeks.
Mr Modi's government has been praised for taking pro-active measures against the virus, including screening tens of thousands of passengers at airports. India has detected many positive cases with travel history and quarantined their contacts over the past two months.
But critics say the government has failed to build on this and was under-reporting cases.
Dr Anant Bhan, a researcher on global health, said Mr Modi was right to create awareness about the challenges posed by the pandemic but made no mention of any effort to increase the country's testing capability.
"His appeal to follow instructions on social distancing, follow public health measures and be ready for a possible long haul will hopefully reinforce existing messaging," Dr Bhan told The National. "The curfew seems to be a test run for gauging public reaction to such steps, which to be effective will need to be drawn out over many days, if not weeks."
But "it would have been good to hear more on what was being planned to increase testing and prepare infrastructure and human resources for a worst-case scenario," he said.
"It's important to see leadership at this time and I hope the PM, other ministers and state-level leadership step up for that regularly."
Mr Modi also asked people to cheer from their homes on Sunday evening in recognition of the work by doctors, nurses, airport staff, journalists and others working to control and monitor the virus.
P Chidambaram, a senior leader of the main opposition Congress party, said he was "duty-bound" to answer the prime minister's call.
"In effect, the PM has asked the people to wage the war against Covid with moral armaments," Mr Chidambaram wrote on Twitter.
