Lockdown 5.0: Amit Shah meets PM Modi after talk with chief ministers on future course

Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday visited PM Modi to discuss the future course of the nationwide lockdown as Lockdown 4.0 nears an end.

Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday visited PM Narendra Modi at his 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence to discuss the future of the nationwide lockdown, which is about to end in two days. The two leaders is likely to have discussed lockdown extension or what is also known as Lockdown 5.0

Amit Shah spoke to all chief ministers of states on Thursday night to take suggestions on the future course of the ongoing lockdown that has completed two months. Many states have suggested that Lockdown 5.0 is necessary at this stage in which coronavirus cases in India has spiked.

Goa CM Pramod Sawant said on Friday, “I spoke to Home Minister Shah on the phone and I feel lockdown may be extended for 15 more days. However, we demand that there should be some relaxations - restaurants should be allowed with social distancing at 50% capacity. Many people also want gyms to resume. Lockdown must be extended for 15 more days, it is needed, as the graph of coronavirus is rising.”

The meeting between PM Modi and Amit Shah started at 11.45 am on Friday. The two leaders discussed modalities of the nationwide lockdown and the future course after Lockdown 4.0 ends on May 31.

Coronavirus cases in India saw the highest spike on Friday, two days before Lockdown 4.0 comes to an end. India recorded 7,466 coronavirus cases while the total cases crossed 1.65 lakh and death toll went past 4,700.

Earlier, sources had said PM Modi is likely to announce Lockdown 5.0 in his radio address Mann Ki Baat on Sunday, which is also the last day of Lockdown 4.0.

Prime Minister Modi had announced the nationwide lockdown to check spread of coronavirus on March 24, following which the 1.2 billion population in India was asked to sit at home with only essential services being allowed.

Lockdown 4.0 has brought some relaxations with flight operations resuming to some extent and Indian Railways starting special trains to ferry stranded people across states.