New Delhi, April 14: Shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced to extend the nationwide lockdown to fight the spread of coronavirus till May 3, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said all domestic and international flights will remain suspended during the period. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, however, said the government can consider resumption of passenger flight services after May 3.

"There were good reasons for the lockdown to be extended till 3rd May. We can consider lifting restrictions on both domestic and international flights thereafter. I understand the problems being faced by people who need to travel and request them to bear with us (sic)," Hardeep Puri tweeted on Tuesday after his ministry announced to extend the suspension of all passenger flights till May 3. '7 Baaton Mein Saath': From Taking Care of Elders to Asking Businesses Not to Lay People Off, PM Narendra Modi Appeals to People to Follow These 7 Points as He Announces Extension of Lockdown Till May 3.

Hardeep Singh Puri's Tweet:

All domestic and international scheduled Airlines operations shall remain suspended till 11.59 pm of May 3, the ministry said in a tweet. Domestic and international commercial passenger flights were earlier suspended from March 25 to April 14. Besides flights, passenger train services will also remain suspended till May 3. While extending the lockdown, PM Modi also hinted at easing of lockdown restrictions in places where there is no hotspot after April 20.

"There will be a review of every town, police station, every district and every state by April 20 to see how lockdown rules are being followed there and how much that area has protected itself from the infection," he said. "Till 20th April, all districts, localities, states will be closely monitored, as to how strictly they are implementing norms. States which will not let hotspots increase, they could be allowed to let some important activities resume, but with certain conditions," he added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 14, 2020 01:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).