Amid the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the country, an order purportedly issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) directing the government to re-impose a nationwide lockdown from 25 September has gone viral.
However, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) has denied the claims being made in the order in question.
“This order is fake. NDMA has not issued any such order to re-impose lockdown.”PIB tweeted
Urging the government, the “order” dated 10 September reads, “In order to contain the spread of COVID-19 and decrease the mortality rate in the country, the National Disaster Management Authority, along with the Planning Commission, hereby urges the government of India and directs the Prime Minister Office, Ministry of Home Affairs to re-impose a strict nationwide lockdown of 46 days starting from midnight 25 September 2020.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation on 24 March, had said that the entire country will be on lockdown from 25 March.
After a few months, the government began unlocking from June in various phases, resuming the activities which were not permitted during the lockdown in a graded way.
India's COVID-19 case tally on Tuesday, 15 September, crossed the 49-lakh mark with a spike of 83,809 new cases and 1,054 deaths in the last 24 hours. The total case tally stands at 49,30,237.
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