Chandigarh, March 22– Haryana Chief Minister, Mr. Manohar Lal, while appealing to the people of the state, said to continue maintaining Janata curfew till tomorrow morning in the state. He said that the people of the state has shown solidarity by practicing social distancing today, and with this coordinated initiative the state will definitely be able to fight against the corona virus.

While addressing the people of the state today, the Chief Minister said that the Janta curfew should be maintained through social distancing. He said the Janta curfew, which was practiced on the call of the Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi today, was successful, and it has to be maintained the entire night. He said that necessary services such as hospital services, medical services, health services, electricity and water services, vegetable markets, general grocery services, etc. will be allowed. Similarly, agriculture-related goods and essential services will be continued so that farmers do not face any kind of problem as the farmers are working to handle their harvest.

The Chief Minister praised the cooperation made by the RWA and NGOs and said that such organizations are working hand-in-hand with the government in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and it is commendable. He has appealed to all such organizations to seek help from the 24*7 helpline if any person does not listen to them. Only appeal and request is to be made as this campaign is purely on the voluntary involvement and cooperation of people. He said that 75 districts have been locked down in the country, and similarly we have also locked down 7 districts of the state, namely, Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Panipat, Jhajjar, Rohtak, Panchkula. He appealed to the people of the seven districts, to maintain discipline till March 31 as all the institutions will remain closed except essential services. However, there is no need of panic or fear, he added.

The Chief Minister said that he is sure that the country was very close to control the further spread of the virus. Expressing hope he said, "I think we are very close in this struggle and that we are soon going to get the news to bring the upward trend of spread of the virus towards a flat trend and then to downward trend." It is our responsibility as citizens, as a society and as a human race, that we remain strong, take a pledge and move forward determined so as to fulfil our responsibilities."

He said that "Today we have shown solidarity, I express my gratitude to the people of the state, especially for the solidarity displayed by them by applauding at 5 pm". He said that the people of the state were the eyes and ears of the government and they should continue with this exceptional cooperation in future also.