Fake: No, India is not declaring a national emergency and you don’t need to stock up

New Delhi, Mar 20: All rumours of an India shutdown were dispelled following the address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. While making no announcement of a lockdown, the PM advised the people to maintain janta curfew on Sunday.

However even as the world fights the deadly coronavirus, fake news is on the rise. A WhatsApp message has been doing the rounds stating that a national emergency is about to be declared.

The message has been attributed to Dr. Naresh Trehan, chairman and MD of the Medanta Hospital. The message says that the people must stock up on essentials.

The message reads, " guys I hope everyone is well stocked with all the basics like milk n all. Just received news that we might go on a lockdown from day after. Came from a reliable source who heard from the prime minister's office."

Another message read, " just got a news from Dr. Trehan's office through the PMO that India is going to declare a national emergency in a day or two. Keep enough ration, medicines and enough cash." The message has been shared several times on WhatsApp and also on Facebook.

However Medanta Hospital rubbished this message and issued a statement declaring the same as fake. The statement read, please disregard the message. This can lead to panic buying, hoarding and stampeding banks. This is not the need of the hour. We must stay calm yet vigilant in prevention measures.

The nation needs every citizen to behave responsibly and spreading rumours is detrimental in the nation's battle against the disease. Stay safe and well, the statement also read.