Total Lockdown for 46 Days from Sept 25? Fact Check as 'Govt Notice' Goes Viral Amid Spike in Virus Cases

New Delhi: Reacting to reports of another lockdown due to Covid-19 starting at the end of this month, the government have denied issuing any such order and refuted the claim.

The report widely being circulated over the social media claiming that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will order another lockdown from September 25 due to the rising Covid-19 cases across the country. The message was shared with a screenshot of a letter with the agency’s name reading the order.

The fake “order” dated September 10 read, “In order to contain the spread of Covid-19 and decrease the mortality rate in the country, the National Disaster Management Authority, along with the Planning commission, hereby urges the government of India and directs the Prime Minister office, ministry of home affairs to re-impose a strict nationwide lockdown of 46 days starting from midnight September 25, 2020. Maintaining the supply chain of essential commodities in the country, therefore hereby NDMA is issuing a prior notice to the ministry to plan accordingly.”

PIB refuting the fake order said, “Claim: An order purportedly issued by National Disaster Management Authority claims that it has directed the government to re-impose a nationwide lockdown from 25th September. PIB Fact Check: This order is Fake. NDMA has not issued any such order to re-impose lockdown.”

India ordered lockdown starting from March which continued till June. Then the government started lifting the lockdown in phases which began in June.

Currently the country has recorded over 48 lakh cases with over 79,000 deaths. The daily rise in cases has reached 90,000.