Lockdown Set to Continue as Survey Shows Four in Five Indians Approve of Restrictions

New Delhi (Sputnik): There are just a few days left before India's initial 21-day lockdown comes to an end, and there is intense speculation around its extension. With the government’s stance unclear, a survey has indicated that 79 percent of Indians want the stringent restrictions to continue after 15 April.

A research platform Local Circles in India has revealed that “79 percent of citizens are in favour of stringent restrictions even after 14 April to contain the further spread of the virus”. While some are in favour of extending the lockdown until 30 April or to 15 May, others want regions with no cases of COVID 19 to be reopened for business.

However, some states have already announced extending the lockdown. The eastern state of Odisha, with 42 positive cases, has announced the extension of lockdown till 30 April. Odisha state chief Naveen Patnaik also announced that schools will remain closed until 17 June.

Patnaik has recommended that the national lockdown must be extended until 30 April and requested the government to not resume train and air travel services during the lockdown.

Odisha Cabinet headed by CM @Naveen_Odisha decided to extend the state lockdown till April 30th & recommended Union Government to extend the national lockdown till then. CM requested the GoI not to start train & air services during the lockdown. #OdishaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/2hjTGqR0y6

— CMO Odisha (@CMO_Odisha) April 9, 2020

​Even the state chief of Maharashtra, which has the highest number of positive cases at 1,018, said on Tuesday that the decision to extend the lockdown in the state will only be taken after 14 April.

However, in a meeting with all the political parties on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi indicated to party leaders that the lockdown may stay in place beyond 14 April.

Keen on extending national lockdown, considering advice from experts, Modi reportedly said: “I have been speaking to chief ministers and district collectors… the common refrain is that it is not easy to lift the lockdown.” “We need to be strict in implementing social distancing norms. So be it lifting or extending the lockdown, the general mood is that it will not be possible to lift the lockdown at once,” he said.

India has recorded around 6,000 positive cases of COVID-19 so far, of which 166 have died and 472 have been discharged, according to data from the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.