Audio clip claiming India will go into a lockdown due to coronavirus is fake: PIB

NEW DELHI: An audio clip claiming India will go into a lockdown due to coronavirus is fake, informed Press Information Bureau.

PIB tweeted:

https://twitter.com/PIBFactCheck/status/1239193424189960194

It is important to note that, all existing visas, except diplomatic, official, UN/International Organizations, employment, project visas, stand suspended till 15th April 2020. This will come into effect from 1200 GMT on 13th March 2020 at the port of departure, informed the Ministry of Health.

The Assam Government on Sunday ordered closure of all educational institutions, gymnasiums, swimming pools and cinema halls till March 29. Addressing a press conference at the Assam Administrative Staff College at Khanapara here on Sunday afternoon, Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna said that this move is part of the government’s pre-emptive actions against spreading of coronavirus in the State. He, however, urged the people to be cautious about the disease but not to panic.

“All schools, colleges, universities, technical institutions — both government and private ones — swimming pools, gymnasiums and cinema halls will remain closed till March 29 with immediate effect. Barring the CBSE and board examinations, all other examinations scheduled till the specified date have been cancelled. All programmes scheduled at government auditoriums have also been cancelled. We hope those owned by private firms will also follow,” the Chief Secretary said.

When asked about closing shopping malls, Krishna pointed out that the decision in this regard has not been taken so far as the number of such malls is not huge in Assam. He, however, said that the government will ask the malls to minimize people’s gathering as much as possible and take all precautionary measures.

It is worth mentioning that, India on Sunday has offered $10 million to set up a common voluntary emergency fund for the members of South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

In an unprecedented move in the diplomatic history of the world, eight countries of SAARC held a web-summit to chalk out a joint strategy to contain the coronavirus outbreak that has hit the world.

Also Read: PM Narendra Modi proposes SAARC strategy to combat COVID-19

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