Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and his wife light lamps in solidarity against COVID-19

New Delhi, Apr 5 () Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu along with his wife Ushamma lit lamps at the Uparashtrapati Bhawan here to express solidarity with the fight against the coronavirus pandemic."Through their overwhelming response to the prime minister's call, the people of India have once again reasserted the country's steely resolve to overcome the crisis caused by the pandemic," an official statement quoted Naidu as saying.

While appealing to the people to stay at home during the lockdown period, the Vice President said it was everybody's duty to stop the transmission of the virus.

In a Facebook post, the Vice President expressed concern over the spread of misinformation, especially on social media, and said it is a virus that needs to be checked immediately.

Millions of Indians across the country switched off lights at their homes and lit candles, diyas or turned on mobile phone torches on Sunday night, responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to show the nation's "collective resolve and solidarity" in its fight against coronavirus.

Modi had on Friday urged people to turn off lights at their homes for nine minutes at 9pm to display the country's collective resolve and solidarity to defeat the virus.