New Delhi, March 24: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday declared a complete-lockdown for three weeks (21 days) across the country, he talked about a poster on the novel coronavirus that caught his attention. He said, according to the poster, CORONA means "Koi Road Par Na Nikle" (No one must go out on the roads). Complete Lockdown in India For 21 Days Announced by PM Narendra Modi to Fight Coronavirus, to Come Into Effect From Midnight.

“You have to remember that a Coronavirus infected person initially appears to be normal and doesn't show symptoms. So maintain precautions and stay at home. As I saw videos and posters, I liked one. It talked about what coronavirus means. CORONA — Koi Road Par Na Nikle (No one must go out on the roads),” he said. 'Social Distancing is Only Option to Combat Coronavirus,' Says PM Narendra Modi.

PM Modi has announced a lockdown for 21 days from today midnight. He said that curfew will be implemented with full compliance. The Prime Minister also appealed to people to not panic as all essential commodities would be available during the shutdown.

This development comes at a time when the number of COVID-19 positive cases across the country has been increasing at a drastic speed. Maharashtra has reported the highest number of cases (107) followed by Kerala (91), Karnataka (41), Uttar Pradesh (33) among others.

Telangana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat continue to see a surge in the COVID-19 cases with 35, 29, 32 and 33 cases, respectively. On Tuesday, Manipur reported its first case in the Northeast.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 24, 2020 10:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).