PM Modi’s First Mann ki Baat Amid 21-day Lockdown at 11am Today, Focus on Coronavirus

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on Sunday in his first Mann ki Baat during the 21-day lockdown announced by the government to stem the spread of coronavirus which has killed 20 people in the country and infected over 900.

The latest episode of Mann ki Baat will focus on the coronavirus pandemic, PM Modi said.

"Tune in tomorrow at 11 (AM). Tomorrow's episode will be focused on the situation prevailing due to COVID-19," Modi tweeted.

Mann ki Baat radio programme is aired on the last Sunday of every month and the prime minister speaks on the latest issues.

The novel coronavirus had infected over 6 lakh people worldwide and led to more than 30,000 deaths.

The United States has now recorded more than 122,000 cases of the respiratory virus, the most of any country in the world.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Saturday announced stricter lockdown measures that will force all non-essential workers to stay at home for the next two weeks, as the government reported 832 new coronavirus deaths overnight.

The latest moves are aimed at combating the virus in Spain, the second-worst affected country in Europe after Italy.

In India, the lockdown is also applicable on domestic and international flights and the railways. Inter-state movement too is allowed only for essential services such as groceries and medical supplies.

This has forced migrant workers to come out on the streets in droves as they walk to their native villages in absence of jobs and, in some cases, even food.