Veteran Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has urged the people of the country to stay indoors after the Indian government announced a 21-day lockdown on March 22. This is due to the rapid spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus, commonly known as the Coronavirus.
It has affected more than 650,000 people worldwide, with more than 31,000 dead. In India itself, more than 980 cases of positive COVID 19 patients have been recorded with 26 deaths. Therefore, the whole country was locked down until April 14 to keep the pandemic reaching the third stage of community transmission.
Harbhajan Singh says government should've kept migrant labourers in mind before announcing lockdown
However, the people have still not taken the whole thing seriously and videos of police hitting the curfew violators and pleading with them to return home have gone viral on social media. The PM urged celebrities to urge citizens to stay inside.
"This is the time to save your country by staying at your home. I understand the condition, whatever is happening outside that you cannot control. The only thing you can control is by doing things that you are asked to do. If it is really necessary for you to go out, take all the precautions and then go out. This is not the right time to roam around,” Harbhajan Singh said to ANI.
"I do not understand the mentality of most of the people, as they now have time to stay at home but they want to go out. I don't understand what they want. The government is repeatedly saying what to do and what not to do. People are also educated despite that if we continue doing things which are not good for humanity then it is a problem," Singh said.
Due to the pandemic, the Indian Premier League amongst other cricketing activities has been suspended for time being. The IPL 13 was supposed to start on March 29 with Chennai Super Kings taking on defending champions Mumbai Indians in Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. But that has been postponed until April 15.
Harbhajan Singh, who plays for the Chennai franchise, said, “We are staying at home, praying and hoping that the situation will get settled. When everything is fine, we will start our life again. The priority is to pray for the people and the world.”
(ANI inputs)
