Prime Minister Narendra Modi will tomorrow address the nation at 10 am as the country awaits with bated breath on a decision on the 21-day lockdown imposed to contain the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The announcement was made by the Prime Minister’s Office on its Twitter handle.

It is widely speculated that PM Modi will announce the extension of the lockdown for another two weeks till April 30, but with measures to restart the economy.

The 21-day lockdown announced by PM Modi on March 24 is slated to end tomorrow.

The Prime Minister address to the nation comes as India records 308 deaths related to the Coronavirus pandemic and 9,152 positive cases.

After taking feedback from the chief ministers on the current Coronavirus situation in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday agreed with the states that the 21-day lockdown should be extended to contain the deadly virus.

Speaking at the video conference, PM Modi said that the focus should be on “jaan bhi, jahaan bhi” (if there’s life, there’s everything) and it is essential for “India’s bright future, and prosperous and healthy India”.

“While announcing the lockdown, I had said ‘jaan hai to jahan hai’… Most people in the country understood it and discharged their responsibilities by remaining indoors. And now it is imperative to focus on both aspects, ‘Jaan Bhi Jahan Bhi’, for India’s bright future, and prosperous and healthy India,” the Prime Minister told the head of the states.

Talking about the exit plan from lockdown in his interaction with chief ministers of states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that there seems to be a consensus amongst the states on extension of lockdown by another two weeks, the Press Information Bureau said in a statement. According to the statement, PM Modi also said that the coming 3-4 weeks are critical for determining the impact of the steps taken till now to contain the virus.

The Prime Minister also suggested specific measures for agriculture and allied sector including modification of APMC laws to facilitate sale of farm produce while assuring states that the country has adequate supplies of essential medicines. He also gave a stern message against black marketing and hoarding.

Several states including Delhi, Maharashtra and Punjab had at the meeting pitched for an extension of the lockdown at least till April 30.

The meeting between the CMs and the Prime Minister mainly focused on exit strategy and discussions on lockdown extension in the country as the nationwide restrictions are set to end on April 14.

Tomorrow’s address will the PM’s fourth address to the nation since the Coronavirus pandemic became a cause for serious concern in India.

In his first address on March 19, PM Modi announced ‘Janata Curfew’ in the entire nation on March 22, from 7 am to 9 pm — a first step to avoid public gatherings and to prevent the spread of the deadly novel Coronavirus.

Then, in his second address on March evening, the Prime Minister announced the unprecedented 21-day nationwide lockdown to contain the Coronavirus pandemic.

In the third address on April 3, PM Modi appealed to the citizens of the nation to switch off lights in their houses and light candles or diyas on April 5 at 9 pm for nine minutes to dispel the darkness and gloom brought by the outbreak of the deadly novel Coronavirus.