Several people searched “India Lockdown again” and “Lockdown news” on the internet on Tuesday amid the ongoing Middle East conflict and six years after the COVID-19 pandemic.
"India lockdown again and "lockdown news" started trending hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his speeches in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on the Middle East conflict, recalled the COVID-19 pandemic and associated global supply chain disruptions.
What did PM Modi say? “In the past too, our government did not allow the burden of global crises to fall on the farmers,“ PM Modi said in Parliament.
The prime minister said the difficult global conditions caused by this war are likely to persist for a long time and called on the nation to remain prepared and united, as it had stood together during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He reaffirmed that India views dialogue and diplomacy as the only path to restoring peace in the Middle East. PM Modi also noted that India remains in regular contact with all parties, including Iran, Israel, and the United States, to emphasise de-escalation.
Noting the constantly evolving situation in the Middle East, the Prime Minister on Tuesday said its negative impacts are likely to continue for some time and urged citizens to stay prepared for all eventualities.
Highlighting the “serious side effects of the war", he drew parallels with India’s response to COVID-19, when expert committees had helped tackle major challenges. He added that the seven empowered groups will now address the effects of the conflict, formulating strategies on fuel, fertilisers, gas, supply chains, and inflation.
‘Is lockdown again in India 2026?’ The central government has not announced any lockdown.
Middle East conflict The conflict in the Middle East escalated following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February, which killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In retaliation, Iran launched attacks on Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv, Eilat, and Dimona, as well as on US military bases across the region. Israel responded with strikes across western and central Iran, including Tehran.
The situation has disrupted trade and energy supplies, particularly through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, creating a global energy crisis and raising crude oil prices.
A look at nationwide lockdown announcement in 2020 PM Modi announced a nationwide lockdown on 24 March 2020 for 21 days, restricting the movement of the country’s 138 crore people as a precaution against the COVID-19 pandemic. This measure followed a 14-hour voluntary public curfew on 22 March and the implementation of various regulations in other COVID-19-affected countries. When the lockdown was enforced, India had around 500 confirmed coronavirus cases.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Beginning in January 2020, it spread across the globe, leading to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it a global health emergency, which was officially ended in May 2023.
Watch PM Modi's lockdown announcement in 2020:
After months of facing thousands of daily cases, numerous deaths, and conducting a massive vaccination campaign, India has successfully controlled COVID-19 and currently does not face any significant threat from the virus, which was first identified in Wuhan, China.