Do not believe rumours that PM Modi will announce a lock down today

New Delhi, Mar 19: There are rumours abuzz that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi would announce a lockdown that would be ordered when Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation at 8 pm today.

This is being widely circulated on the social media and has led to panic. Multiple sources that we spoke with have said that there is no such decision on the cards. In fact, Prasar Bharti CEO Shashi Shekhar too took to Twitter to state that there is no need to panic

He said that some media outlets have been speculating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will announce a lock down in his address. This information is incorrect. It will also create unnecessary panic in the minds of people, which is the last thing we need in times like this.

On Thursday, the Prime Minister held several rounds of discussions with several experts on the spread of the coronavirus. The next 15 days are crucial in India's battle against COVID-19.

A tweet by the PMO said, "PM Shri @narendramodi will address the nation on 19th March 2020 at 8 PM, during which he will talk about issues relating to COVID-19 and the efforts to combat it."

"Ways to further strengthen India's preparedness were discussed. This includes further enhancing testing facilities," the PM said in another tweet.