Report claiming PM did not consult COVID-19 task force before extending lockdown is false

New Delhi, Apr 15: A news magazine has claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not consult the 21-member scientific COVID-19 task force before extending the lockdown.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Tuesday extended the nationwide coronavirus lockdown until May 3. The news report claimed that PM Modi had not consulted with the task force before extending the lockdown.

The news is fake. The task force has met 14 times in the past one month. All decisions taken were in consultation with the members of the task force. Please avoid such conjectures, the ICMR has said.

The task fore on COVID-19 comprises 21 leading scientists. The force advises the Prime Minister on its response to the pandemic. The report claimed that the force did not meet even once in the week preceding the announcement to extend the lockdown.