(Bloomberg) -- India must focus on its economy even as it races to save lives by containing the spread of coronavirus infections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a meeting with state leaders to discuss the country's ongoing lockdown.
Modi warned on Monday that the impact of the epidemic will remain visible for several months and asked the states to enforce lockdown guidelines strictly in the worst-hit virus hot spots or red zones, according to a statement issued by the Press Information Bureau. Modi's statement provided no specific new measures to boost the economy.
The prime minister met with the chief ministers of states via video conferencing to discuss the way ahead for tackling the Covid-19 pandemic. India has been under a stringent nationwide lockdown since March 25 even though some restrictions were eased on April 20 to allow farmers and some industries to resume operations in rural areas and in districts that were free of infections.
The 40-day mandatory stay-at-home for almost all of the nation's 1.3 billion people which is in place until May 3 has crippled business activity and put a lid on consumption, the backbone of the economy.
Most state governments have said they want the lockdown to be extended, V. Narayanasamy, chief minister of Puducherry, told reporters in New Delhi.
India has so far reported 27,890 infections, including 882 deaths, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University.
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