New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday appealed to all Indians to stay indoors as much as possible to avoid getting infected by coronavirus.
He called for 'Janta curfew' on March 22 from 7 am-9 pm, saying no citizen, barring those in essential services, should get out of house.
Modi requested people above the age of 60 to not venture out of their homes for the next few weeks. "Even World War I and II did not affect as many countries as coronavirus has done," Modi said in a national broadcast.
Asking people to sacrifice "some weeks of yours, some time of yours", Modi said given that coronavirus has no cure yet, the only way to stay safe is to stay indoors.
"I request all people in country to get out of house only when it is extremely necessary, try and do all work from home," he added.
India has so far reported 173 cases of coronavirus across the country.