Bengaluru: All of us were glued to our television sets or mobile phones as Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke at 10 this morning. 

And as he spoke, we were all eagerly waiting for that part of his speech where he would talk about and elucidate about the extension of the lockdown. 

As most of us would have thought that Modi would extend the lockdown till April 30, he did not! He extended it further by 3 more days, that is till May 3. 

Also Read: PM Modi extends lockdown till May 3

The Prime Minister also emphasised that the lockdown would be monitored very intensely for the next one week and there will be a review on April 20. And if necessary, that is, in those districts which do not see a rise in the covid cases, things would be relaxed! 

But why May 3 and not April 3? 

Well, in simple terms, May 1 is a holiday. May 2 is a Saturday and May 3 is a Sunday. The extension has been given so that the lockdown can be followed till the weekend and if lockdown is called off on May 3, people can start afresh starting May 4, which is a Monday. 

Moreover, the extension this time, will be for 19 days as against 21 days earlier. So the total number of days will be 21+19=40 days, thereby making it one long stretch for fighting the virus. 

This is the logic behind the date. 

But again, we must remember that Modi has taken expert opinions on extending the lockdown and would not have jumped to it without much thought process. 

He has ensured that the momentum gained in the last 21 days will continue and is harnessed till the 3 weeks. 

Another important aspect to note is that the PM kept on stressing that the next one week would be crucial because he fears that community transmission would take place in the next 7 days and wants to prevent it thoroughly. 

And if you observe what the PM has done in the last several weeks, he has made the lockdown a people’s initiative. Be it the Janata curfew or the ringing of bells or the lighting of lamps, he has involved people into it. Now, this extension too sees the people’s involvement. During his address, he kept on using the words “your sacrifice, your
hardship, Agnipariksha” ad nauseum. This was a deliberate attempt to get into the minds of the people and put the onus on them in order to derive more success. 

Apart from these, he nailed it further by issuing seven guidelines, including taking care of elders in the family, respecting Covid warriors inter alia. 

However, even as the PM spoke lucidly, delineating on several aspects, as expected there were naysayers. They have their eyes focused on economy. 

Of course, economy is an important aspect which we can’t miss out. But first, let’s live. Only then, can we think of economy and improvement. 

As the Prime Minister himself stressed, India has done much better than other countries and the war will be won only if there is a united effort in debilitating the virus. 

We saw many health experts eulogise the PM’s move saying this was a necessary step to elongate the lockdown as we can’t lose out on the gains we have had in the last 21 days. 

So let’s continue to stay indoors. Let’s also maintain social distancing and help the society a better place to live in.