Why did PM Modi extend Coronavirus Lockdown till May 3, not April 30?

mangaloretoday.com/yahoo

April 14, 2020: Going a few days ahead than several state governments, which had announced extension of coronavirus lockdown till 30th April in their states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the nationwide lockdown till May 3 in his third televised address to the nation on Tuesday. Reason? If government officials were to be believed then not much should be read in 3 days further extension of the nationwide lockdown. With a public holiday on May 1 and weekend beginning from May 2, the government thought of buying a little more time to further control the spread of the virus, government sources were quoted as saying by ANI.

The country will have an official holiday on May 1 and the next two days are Saturday and Sunday, a government source told ANI. Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the nationwide lockdown by another 18 days till May 3. Earlier, states including Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Odisha and West Bengal had already extended the lockdown till April 30 in the last couple of days.

Expressing his gratitude towards people for complying with the lockdown guidelines, PM Modi said that the lockdown and social distancing have benefited the nation immensely. He also said that the hardships and crisis in the nation in the absence of the lockdown would have been unimaginable.

Giving an incentive to people to follow social distancing guidelines strictly, PM Modi informed that restrictions will be eased out in areas reporting no new cases till April 20. He also said that the government will ramp up the lockdown measures in the coming week before easing out restrictions for some vital economic activities.

PM Modi also said that early measures including banning the entry of foreign nationals and mandatory quarantine for Indians returning from abroad helped nip the Coronavirus crisis to some extent. Lauding the role played by the state governments, PM Modi said that every tier of the government administration worked in a holistic manner. PM Modi also said that he was aware of the massive economic cost of the nationwide lockdown but saving the lives of the people was more important for the country.