Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged Indians to switch off the lights at their homes and on their doorstep or in the balcony, light a candle or a diya or flash a torchlight or mobile flash light on April 5 at 9 pm for nine minutes.
He said that even though we are in our homes, we are not alone. Country's 1.3 billion people are together during this lockdown period. He said we have to dispel the darkness spread by the coronavirus and give hope to the poor who are the most impacted by lockdown.
In his video message, he said people and authorities have worked together to implement the lockdown restriction. Other countries were inspired from the applause the country offered to its frontline warriors on March 22 during Janata curfew. It showed that we can fight the coronavirus together.
On Thursday, he spoke with the chief ministers of all the states urging them to focus on testing, tracing, isolation and quarantine to minimise the loss of life due to Covid-19.
He also called for a staggered exit from the lockdown as it is scheduled to end on April 14.
India's total coronavirus cases surged past the 2,000-mark amid fears that the Nizamuddin area in Delhi may emerge as the biggest cluster spread in the country. Around 19 deaths so far in the country can be traced to the Tablighi event held between March 1-15.
The Prime Minister also conveyed the chief ministers to urge religious leaders of all communities to disseminate the message of social distancing.