Image Source: TIMES NOW

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 8 pm on Tuesday. The information was given by the Prime Minister's Office on its Twitter handle. The Prime Minister had on Monday held a meeting with chief ministers of all the States/UTs. "I am working on ways on how to open up the economy", PM Modi had said yesterday during his fifth video conference meeting with them. As per reports, the PM, during the conference, had hinted at a gradual lockdown withdrawal. He had also described social distancing as the biggest weapon in the COVID-19 fight. I am of the firm view that the measures needed in the first phase of lockdown were not needed during the 2nd phase and similarly the measures needed in the 3rd Phase are not needed in the fourth, he said. We have a twofold challenge to reduce the transmission rate of the disease and to increase public activity gradually while adhering to all the guidelines and we will have to work towards achieving both these objectives, PM Modi added. Sources suggest the focus of the meeting was to increase economic activities and to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in containment zones as the lockdown 3.0 is set to end on May 17. The lockdown was first enforced on March 25 for 21 days. However, it was later extended to May 3 and then to May 17.