PM Modi Speech for Nation

"Lockdown Has Gone, Virus Hasn't,"

PM Cautions In Festive Season

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said in the festive season, the nation must not forget that while the lockdown is over, the coronavirus is not.

"This is not the time to be careless. This is not the time to think that corona is gone and the danger is over," PM Modi said.

He said over the past few days, videos had shown that crowds were out in public, throwing caution to the winds. "You are risking your family, your children and your elders by doing so," said the Prime Minister.

He also said while India was at a better state than many other countries, it should not drop its guard.

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This is his seventh address to the nation since he announced a strict lockdown in March-end to check the spread of the coronavirus. Since June, the nation has been exiting the restrictions in phases in order to reopen the economy.

Experts have raised concerns that alongside the unlock rules, the festival season may lead to a surge in infections.

India's COVID-19 tally is close to 76 lakhs but for the first time in nearly three months, the country has recorded less than 50,000 new cases in a day. The health ministry reported 46,790 fresh cases in the last 24 hours, which takes the overall cases to 75,97,063.

The last time new Covid cases were below 50,000 was on July 23, when India recorded 45,720 new cases in a day.

The government recently said the country has crossed its coronavirus peak as its daily average cases have tapered against a high of more than 90,000 daily cases logged in mid-September.