PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI'S CABINET MEETING ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE 21-DAY LOCKDOWN TO FIGHT CORONAVIRUS DEMONSTRATED SOCIAL DISTANCING. IN AN IMAGE CIRCULATED ON SOCIAL MEDIA, PM MODI WAS FLANKED BY MINISTERS WHO SAT A SAFE DISTANCE AWAY, AND WITH ENOUGH SPACING BETWEEN EACH IN A LONG, CARPETED HALL IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICIAL RESIDENCE IN DELHI. THE PRIME MINISTER HAD LAST EVENING ANNOUNCED A TOTAL LOCKDOWN ACROSS THE COUNTRY, ASKING PEOPLE TO FORGET ABOUT STEPPING OUT OF THEIR HOMES FOR THE NEXT THREE WEEKS. HE EXPLAINED THAT THIS PERIOD WAS NECESSARY TO BREAK THE CHAIN OF TRANSMISSION OF CORONAVIRUS, WHICH HAS TAKEN OVER 18,000 LIVES ACROSS THE WORLD. HE ALSO ASSERTED THAT SOCIAL DISTANCING WAS THE BIGGEST WAY TO CONTROL THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS.