Cardinal Oswald Gracias, head of the Catholic Church in India, on March 20 urged his people to cooperate wholeheartedly with the people’s curfew called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contain coronavirus epidemic. Cardinal Gracias lauded the prime minister’s public appeal to India’s more than 1.3 billion people to observe a self-imposed curfew on March 22.

“Last evening the prime minister made an appeal to all of us to stay at home on Sunday March 22 in a self-imposed curfew. It is evident that the deadly coronavirus is spreading posing an extremely danger to all,” Cardinal said in a video message circulated through YouTube channel and the Bombay archdiocese’s website.

The cardinal said he has decided to heed the premier’s call and cancel all public Masses in the archdiocese of Mumbai from March 20 to April 4, “in the larger interest of safety of our people which is truly paramount.”

On March 19 at 8 pm, the prime minister appealed Indians to observe the “Janata curfew” (people’s curfew) as a test run for social distancing over the next few days to fight the spread of coronavirus. As part of the self-curfew, Modi said everyone must stay home from 7 am to 9 pm that day and abide by it.

The premier also cautioned citizens against hoarding and panic-buying, assuring that there would be no shortage of essentials like milk, medicines and food.